Imagine
by celohei
Summary: What if the BAU was sent to Naruto's world? A bit of an experiment about two awesome shows [rewritten version] [warning: was written before shippuden so major cannon divergence]
1. Chapter 1

_Hi everyone!_

_This is the new version of my old story _Imagine_._

_This is a writing experiment that I made several years ago. Basically, just a "what if"... What if the BAU was thrown into the Naruto-verse? I was watching both shows at the same time all those years ago, and I just wondered. So I came up with my own answer._

_I published the first version of it years ago but a couple years after writing it. Then I abandoned all of my fics when life happened. I came back to them a few weeks ago and decided to pick a few of them up. This one has been on my mind for a while before then. I did follow _Naruto_ until the end of the manga, and Criminal Minds is still one of my favorite shows. But now, all the characters in both shows have evolved so much from the time this was first written that the original storyline for Imagine just doesn't work out for me anymore. _

_So I'm rewriting it entirely! It will be a bit darker than the original. Both because the source material became darker, but also because I like to think I became more mature too, and so has my writing. I really want to explore this "what if" from an realistic adult perspective, but also with building a world that would fit around it. What I mean is that I will most likely take some liberties with the Naruto-verse, including some elements from the manga, but disregarding others, in order for my story to hold together. So do not expect a cannon universe for the BAU to fall into._

_Also, I will include a lot more details outside of the BAU's point of vue. The BAU was the initial focus of my story, but I've realised that some aspects of the characters and world I wanted to build into the story just woudln't fit in a BAU-only narrative._

_Anyways... I you've read my original Imagine, please, read this as a new story. I have changed a few things that will impact the story later on. But I am using some of my original materials as they are when it works out. So some parts will be new, some will be familiar to you._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**IMAGINE**

**Chapter 1**

When Spencer walked into the bullpen this morning, he instantly knew something was wrong. Ah, a bad case then. He sighed, put his lunch down on his desk as he just passed by it on his way to the conference room. Everyone was already there: Dave, Jennifer, Derek, Aaron, Emily and Penelope. Strange thing, both Aaron and Penelope were seated at the table like the rest of them. Spencer frowned. This was never a good thing. It was confirmed when Section Chief Cruz walked into the room, his face closed off in a serious frown.

"-Morning everyone. There is no pleasant way to announce this so I'll just be blunt. Your team has been commandeered for a joined international military task force."

Stunned silence greeted the announcement. Jennifer was the first to react, voice strained.

"-We're being deployed?"

Matteo held her gaze, sadness evident in his eyes. _I'm sorry_.

"-Not all of you. Agents Prentiss, Jareau, Morgan and Reid, you've been hand-picked for the operation, under Hotchner's supervision. The rest of you will stay here to take care of things while they're away. You won't be receiving any active case unless urgent.

-How long will we be away for?

-I don't know. As far as I'm aware there is no timeframe for the operation.

-Do you know where we're going?

-No, and it's unlikely those of us staying behind will receive anymore information. The assignment is on a strict need-to-know basis. They didn't want Rossi and Garcia to know about it. I estimated that as part of this unit, you all deserved to know. I trust you all understand the need for discretion on this matter."

Once again the team was silent. They were being deployed. This was never good news. Aaron and Jennifer shared a look: they were taking it the hardest. Being away from their respective families for an undetermined length of time was always hard. Penelope was clearly trying very hard not to cry in front of the Section Chief.

Spencer didn't know what to think of all this. He was nervous. He had never been deployed. Truth be told he never even considered it. He had always thought that he would always be passed over considering his lack of physical strength and his relative youth.

Emily and Derek were both looking intensely at Matteo, face serious and focused. Strictly speaking, this would also be Emily's first deployment. She had known it was only a matter of time before she found herself in such a situation. Part of her had hoped that being in the BAU would have prevented that.

"-Do we know anything else?

-Only that you'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I believe the powers that be will have organized transport. I know I don't have to tell you that you will be representing your country and this unit. You have been selected for this job, whatever it is. I trust in you to do it well and fast. Still, be safe."

With that, Matteo left the BAU team to digest that new assignment.

The next day found Emily, Jennifer, Spencer, Morgan and Aaron on a military plane, all decked out in practical casual clothes. They each had received succinct information with their assignment file. The information was spread out on several pages but didn't add anything to what Matteo had told them. They were still going blind. The atmosphere was casual, if somewhat fake. Spencer was buried nose in a book on soldier psychology. Jennifer and Emily were seating next to each other. Emily was discreetly looking at Jennifer, who was lost in thoughts. She could only guess that the blonde woman was thinking about her last deployment and how that had ended up. Derek was listening to his music, eyes closed, head tilted back, and leg jumping nervously or impatiently. Aaron was coming just staring ahead, eyes vague.

A few hours later Derek woke Spencer up. The plane was preparing for landing. When the team walked out of the plane, four people were waiting for them near two black cars. As they walked closer, the BAU members could see that there were three men and a woman. The man on the left was the tallest of the three. He was lean but not thin. His hair was silver and stood out of his otherwise young appearance. It was messy but in a kind-of-classy way. He wore a marine costume and a grey tie. His hands were in his pockets and he managed to slouch and look serious at the same time. A tall blond guy with spiky hair stood on his left. He was smaller than the grey-haired man but broader. He was also wearing a costume, albeit a black one, with a dark red tie that he apparently couldn't stop touching nervously. He was some kind of fidgety, which lead the arriving team to think that he wasn't used to wearing that kind of clothes and certainly didn't like wearing them now. The girl of the group stood next to him. She had surprising shoulder-length pink hair that really attracted the eye. Her outfit was nothing like the men's. It consisted of large black cargo pants, black boots, a deep pink jacket on top of a pastel green t-shirt. Her demeanor was more relaxed and welcoming. The last member of the group was standing behind his colleagues, next to the first car. The only way to describe him was 'average': average height, average brown hair, average brown eyes, average deep green costume. He was the quietest of the group as he simply stood there, doing nothing but breathing.

The tallest man closed the distance between the two groups and introduced himself, presenting his hand to Aaron:

"-Hi! I'm Hatake Kakashi, I'm the captain of this squad. This is Uzumaki Naruto," pointing at the blond guy, "Ito Sai," the average guy, "and last but not least, Haruno Sakura," finally introducing the girl.

"-Hi. I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, these are SSA Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau and Dr Spencer Reid.

-Nice to meet you. I trust you have questions to ask us so we'd better go somewhere we can answer those safely."

The two teams got into the cars and out of the ariport. In the first car, Kakashi explained to Aaron:

"-It'll still take a few hours to reach our base of operations. We'll stop ina little while to change cars for something more practical."

For Spencer, everything happened in a kind of numbness. The plane, the car... He understood that they had not quite reached their destination yet but he couldn't bring himself to feel surprised. Or actually, he was surprised and downright curious about the whole thing but couldn't master the will to show it. The other members of his team, though, were quite vocal about it at first. When they arrived at a big warehouse where they were supposed to change cars, Derek showed his cursiosity:

"-Jeeps, uh?

-Well...," began the pink-haired girl, Sakura, "We can't exactly risk anyone out here following us to our... organization. The cars are going to take another direction as baits in case we are being followed. Plus, the jeep is the only way to get in.

-All right, then." Derek sure wasn't satisfied but decided to adopt the wait-and-see approach. It wasn't his first military operation.

Both teams somehow settled into a big camouflage jeep, Sai behind the wheel, Naruto and Sakura at the front with him, and Kakashi and the BAU on the benches at the back.

Kakashi started the conversation.

"-I'm guessing you have questions.

-Yes.

-Of course. Unfortunately, I can't give you much information until we reach our destination. I'm sure you understand.

-We do. Will be be working with you, then?

-Yes, although not closely.

-Will there be others teams with us?

-I haven't been briefed on the details but you will be our only international team, if that's what you're asking."

The team fell silent after this. They seemed to reach their destination a couple of hours later as they entered what looked to be a cave. Derek enquired.

"-We're here?

-Not quite. We're just getting a break and a few supplies. We'll be leaving again in an hour. I figured you might want to stretch your legs a little. We still have a few hours of driving, and you might have to get started straight away once we get there."

The jeep pulled over after a turn, in what looked to be a well-lit underground base, supplied with basic furniture: chairs, two camp beds, a large table, and a few closed crates. In a corner, there was a few supplies for tea and coffee.

"-This is just a relay, not very comfortable, but we won't be staying long. Feel free to go around but not further than the jeep. Bathrooms are behind the door at the back.

-Coffee does sound great." said Emily as she headed towards the coffee machine. She got a pot going for everyone. She was joined by Sakura, who put the kettle on.

"-Hi! I'm Sakura.

-Hi, Emily, nice to meet you.

-It is. It's very nice to meet another female agent.

-Are you the only one in your...team?

-_Team_ works, and yes, I'm the only one. I do have a few other female colleagues in the other units, but we don't see each other that often. It is nice to work with someone a little bit more refined that those ruffiants I'm stuck with." As she said that, the young girl shook her head in Naruto's and Kakashi's direction, a smile tugging at her lips. She poured the tea in a teapot and brought cups over to the table, just as Emily was doing the same with the coffee.

"-Oh, so are you guys a team?

-Yeah, together with Sai over there."

The mentioned Sai was putting a few crates into the back of the jeep. Kakashi got to the table, wordlessly took an offered cup of tea and sat down on a chair, pulling a book out of his jacket pocket. Naruto also came to the table and stayed there, thanking Sakura for the tea, and passively joining in the conversation. He had loosened his tie, which now hung low on his neck. The first two buttons of his shirt were also undone. Next to his small colleague, the BAU noticed that he was actually quite tall and muscular.

The rest of the BAU team came up to the table, Jennifer stretching her back as she did so. They each grabbed a welcomed cup of coffee, and reintroduced themselves more casually to the other team members. Aaron went to talk to Kakashi, probably trying to get more information about the assignment.

Sakura and Naruto could see that Spencer, _Dr Reid_, seemed nervous when they extended their hands.

"-I… I don't shake hands.

-Oh. No worries.

-Did you know that stomach acid was corrosive enough to dissolve stainless steel?"

As often, Spencer's question was met with confused silence. For their defense, Sakura and Naruto seemed to recover pretty quickly, him with a discreet amused snort, her with a shrug that seemd to break herself out of her surprise and a smile.

"-I did know that, yeah. Fascinating, isn't it?"

Now it was the BAU team's turn to be surprised. Spencer just smiled and went to sit on one of the chairs, seemingly happy with the interaction. Jennifer followed him with her eyes then smiled as she looked at Sakura. She liked her: not everyone was taking him on board as easily. Derek just shrugged and laughed, shaking his head. Jennifer was the one who bounced back onto the conversation.

"-So, you guys are a team, I heard?

-Yeah. Kakashi is our captain.

-How long have you been working together?

-Oh, a few years."

Now this took the BAU by surprise completely. Sai, Naruto and Sakura all looked pretty young to them. Hell, even Kakashi didn't seemed to be much over 30 or 33! Sakura seemed to notice their surprise for she continued:

"-We kinda went to the Academy together. What about you guys?

-Oh, we've been together a while.

-Is it just you?

-No, we left two of our colleagues back at Quantico. Rossi was actually part of the team that created our unit. Hotch joined a few years later, then I guess we came together through the years."

The conversation slowly went onto Penelope and her quirks, the women happy to share this moment of complicity and getting to know one another. Naruto, half seated, half leaning on the table, kept observing behind Sakura. She clearly was used to him being in her personal space, as she slowly back onto him, barely touching, more like an acknowledgement. After a little while, Sai came back from the car, taking up his tea cup and draining it without comment. Derek was closely observing the team, especially Naruto. There was something about the blonde that unsettled him. He barely noticed it, only just because he was paying attention to him. The blonde shifted only just slightly. Kakashi closed his book and stood up.

"-All right, time to go."

After a few hours of driving on a dirt road through a terrain that gradually became more mountainous, they entered another cave. This time, they passed several checkpoints before finally stopping and getting out of the car. They were in a big room with two other cars. No one else was around.

Kakashi led them through a door and up some stairs.

"-We are to meet with our superior, she will explain everything."

After a five-minute walk they stopped in front of one of the closed doors of the hall. It seemed to the BAU team that they were either still underground or at least in a restricted area of a building, seeing that they hadn't seen anybody and there weren't any window. Kakashi knocked on the door. A feminine yet authoritative voice answered him:

"-Come in."

As they did, Kakashi and his team bowed lightly:

"-Tsunade-sama.

-Team Kakashi, I was waiting for you. And our guests... Come in!"

The room was a well-lit, windowless office with a large rectangular table in its center. At its end sat a young blond woman. Her hair was tied in two ponytails, her eyes a common hazelnut. She wore a large green shirt. She stood up, showing her quite average size and said:

"-Welcome. I'm Senju Tsunade, the head of this... organization.

-Nice to meet you. I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, these are SSA Jennifer Jareau, Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss and Dr Spencer Reid.

-Nice to meet you. Please, sit down. So, I believe your superior introduced you to the... special status of this case."Authority emanated from her. She seemed to be the kind of woman to be obeyed.

"-Not really. We were told this was a joined military task force. We have had no more information about this.

-I see. Not ideal but nothing we can do about this now. We did give more information about the job. Clearly, they were not passed along. Well, no time like the present. We requested your presence here for two things, mainly. You are to train a few selected assets with psych eval. And do one of your own.

-That's it?

-Morgan!

-No Hotch. Is that it? You had us come all the way here just for that."

Tsunade frowned. Derek clenched his jaw. He felt Naruto's glare on his back.

"-No." She posed for a few seconds. "The situation is a little bit more complicated than that. What I need you to do is obviously classified. I don't mean to be rude but you have to understand. The information you are to come across is of high importance and can become really dangerous in the wrong hands. Now, I am well aware that I'm not your boss and it is not in my prerogatives to sanction you should you not respect this secrecy. But I called you in for I hope I can trust you.

-Don't worry, Ma'am. It is part of our job not to discuss any detail of any case with any outsider. We understand and respect the need of discretion in that kind of situation. Be at ease.

-Good. Now back to business. I believe you were told that we are some equivalent of your CIA?" Aaron's slight shake of head told her that no, they hadn't been told. "That's not exactly true but it's similar enough for you to understand the gravity of the situation. One of our agents went rogue. We need to arrest him, assess his current state of mind, and, more importantly, determine if he can be reformed or if he will pose a threat to us."

At that everyone straightened. That kind of cases wasn't, by far, the easiest to handle. The BAU members now understood the importance of the case and the need for secrecy.

Kakashi and his teammates had kept silent so far but they clearly became more serious about the whole thing. Naruto was downright gritting his teeth. After a brief silence, Derek asked:

"-And the training?

-How to prevent that kind of situation.

-Meaning…?

-I need my troops better trained in preventing desertion, how to spot risks and how to defuse them.

-Are there no support structures for that already?

-No. We do things slightly differently than you do in your country. We do give regular psych evals to our… agents, but they're really more for form than any real improvement. I aim to change that, and I need your help in doing it. This is not the priority. If you are up for it, I'd like you to get started straight away on our main problem. You will be briefed about the training tomorrow."

Tsunade looked at Aaron, silently asking if that would work for him. The BAU team got the distinct impression that whatever Aaron was thinking, things would go Tsunade's way.

"-This works for us. We can get started straight away.

-Good." She stood up and headed towards the door. "I'll let you work and go back to my own stock of paperwork, then. Someone from Team Kakashi will come back later on to pick you up and lead you to your hotel once I've made all the arrangements for your stay."

The blond woman left, together with Naruto. Sai also left but seemed to go the opposite direction. Sakura and Kakashi were still in the room with them. After a soft knock on the door, two clerks came in, one carrying a box, the other a tray with coffee and tea. The left without a word.

Sakura turned to Kakashi, who simply leaned back on the desk, not moving towards the box on it. Sakura sighed and opened it while explaining.

"-This is the information you have been cleared to have access to concerning… Concerning your primary assignment. I believe you should have enough here to get started.

-Excuse me," Jennifer started. "But get started on what exactly? What is it we're supposed to do here?

-Work out a plan for extraction." Kakashi's voice was serious and void of emotion. "We need a plan to lure him out and intercept him with minimal damage.

-And you need us for that?" Derek was very doubtful: why would these people need them for that?

"-Surely you guys have protocols for that kind of situations?" Apparently, Emily quite agreed with Derek.

"-We do. But he knows them and won't fall for them. We have tried bringing him in before. We need someone from the outside, someone who's not going to think the way we do."

The BAU team members all straightened. They were being trusted with a very important assignment indeed. Aaron turned to his subordinates:

"-Ok guys, let's get to work. I know we're not quite used to that kind situation but let's do our job."

Sakura smiled. Kakashi and her bade the good luck and good bye, leaving them to start on everything. They headed to Tsunade's office, where they knew Naruto was also waiting for them.

"-Report.

-They are capable. They're suspicious but they seem to understand our security measures or, at least, they won't complain about it for now.

-Good. What about the box?

-They were about to get started on that as we left.

-Tsunade-shishou, what is in the box?

-Mission reports mostly. Edited reports of the retrieval tentatives. And a bit of background information.

-Would that be enough for them to work with?

-Honestly, I highly doubt it. But there is only so much we can allow the to know so it'll have to be enough.

-Maa, aren't they supposed to be experts? You know, for civvies?

-That's why they're here. Though, if I were you, Kakashi, I wouldn't call them 'civvies' to their face. They _are _agents of their government after all." The woman paused for a moment. "Well, that will be it for the time being. We'll see how they'll progress. Now for the funny part." She smirked as Kakashi sighed. "I'm sure you've understood that they cannot, under any circumstance, figure out they are in a hidden village nor what _is_ a hidden village.

-Of course.

-Shishou, how can we hide the entire village from them?

-For tonight, when one of you will accompany them to their hotel, we will put them under a light genjutsu, like we've been doing until now. All they will be able to see are the civilians. They'll also be put under genjutsu in and near to Hokage Tower. There are just too many ninjas in this area, we can't do anything else. For the rest of the time, well... The jounin are aware that we have special guests. They don't know why they're here but they do know that they can't be spotted doing anything even remotely ninja-like. But since they _are _jounin, it won't change anything. I wish good luck to any outsider in spotting a jounin. Even our own civilians rarely spot one. The ANBU aren't even worth worrying about. That leaves the chuunins and genins. I left Shikamaru Nara in charge of the chuunins. Apparently he made up a mascarade test of stealth inside the village. I don't know exactly what he told them but I think the grand lines are 'If you're spotted by any civilian, I'll have you stuck to D rank missions for the next six months'... Or was it a year?" At that Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura snickered. They felt for the chuunins but found it too entertaining to really pity them. Plus, it would make a nice training. "Anyway. The genins won't be a problem. I don't think our guests will see anything else in the genins than children playing. If something leaks, we'll see what to do when it happens but I think it highly improbable. Okay, if you don't have any questions, you're dismissed. I'll send for one of you later to accompany them to their hotel and eventually show them the main places of the village.

-Hai!" And the team left.

* * *

The tension was quite high in the secluded office where the BAU found themselves. What a weird assignment! They honestly were not too sure what to think of it all. As a military assignment, they had expected to be on the ground, not in some office or conference room or training facility or whatever this place was. Aaron, of course, was the first one to recover.

"-All right, let's see what is in that box and treat this like any other case.

-Hotch..." Emily started, hesitant. "This isn't really like a case though, is it?

-Are we expected to build a profile? Or arrest someone whose identity we, well _they_, already know?

-JJ, I don't know anymore than you do. We've been tasked with coming up with an arrest strategy, so this is what we're going to do."

The rest of the team sighed but gathered around the box, ready to start their job, whatever it was. Inside the box were several files. They each took one and opened them. They looked like case files.

"-Oh my God!" hiccupped Jennifer.

"-Wow. That's..." trailed off Derek.

"-That's mad! Who could just do such a thing?" asked Emily, horrified.

She emphasized her words by pointing at one of the photographs. On it could be seen bodies, about twenty of them, lying on what seemed to be a forest floor. There was blood everywhere.

"-They are terrified. Look at their faces. All that blood, what happened to them?

-Emily, you keep that file and go through it. Let's open the rest. I have a feeling it's going to be similar. Each one of us, take one."

For the next few hours, each member of the team went through their own case files. Each file contains details and pictures of gruesome scenes. Bodies and death, dark rooms or woods, autopsy reports. Many pages had details blacked out. After a long stunned silence as everyone focused on their own file, Aaron gathered them to go over what they had found within those first few files.

"-What do we have?

-A seriously fucked up unsub.

-I don't think there's only one of them...

-Reid?

-In JJ's file and in mine, there is just no way only one person can do all of this, not by themselves without restraining the victims in some way.

-A team, then? A pack?

-Probably. The scenes don't look disorganized though.

-No. The rest of the file seems to confirm this. It was an organized job. Most of my file has been blacked out, though so I can't really go on with that.

-Morgan, what was in yours?

-Just one woman, seemed pretty low risk. Tortured and held for a few days at the least according to the autopsy. Died of a heart attack most likely provoked by the stress of whatever she was put through. Looks like a single unsub to me.

-Prentiss?

-Two victims, both males in their early twenties, died of deep lacerations. Still unidentified. From the pictures you all saw earlier, it looks like they were displayed in a very aggressive way.

-What do you make of it?

-I have a feeling this was as much for a third party as for the unsub. I mean, it sends a pretty strong message, but to do that damage? The unsub would have to be pretty dedicated.

-So single unsub?

-Yeah. The room looks pretty small, there would have been no way for anyone else to have been there.

-Reid?

-Mine was very different. The crime scene was in the woods. Thirteen victims, almost all died from lacerations, two of a broken neck. All males.

-What else?

-Based on the splattering of the blood and the apparently clean cut on this guy, I'd say a huge knife was used?" Spencer's tone was interrogative.

"-A knife? A knife couldn't possibly do that much damage, even a huge one, Reid.

-Well, my first impression was a sword of some sort.

-Really? Reid, you're kidding, right?

-Not necessarily. Prentiss just said it: a knife wouldn't do that kind of damages.

-Yeah, but a sword? Come on.

-Not a sword exactly. Look at their cuts. A sword would be too heavy to make those. Those are made by a swift movement and, judging by the faces of the victims, I'd say everything happened pretty quickly. So the weapon would have to be easily lifted and maneuvered.

-So what do you suggest?" asked Aaron.

"-A saber would be more suited.

-A saber now?" Derek snorted ironically, "Hotch, seriously, what is it with this case?

-Just focus, ok? We'll know more when go through the rest.

-Honestly, I don't think I could go through that today fi this is just more of the same.

-I'm guessing we still have a few more hours to go. Let's go through those files one more time together, see what else we can find."

Hearing Aaron's answer, Derek sighed heavily. It was a long day.

Emily seemed to have a hard time believing what she was seeing spread out on the table. At the moment they were going over Spencer's initial file again, the one in the forest. Frowning, she asked:

"-Is that a uniform they're wearing? It looks like they're wearing the same kind of outfit.

-Yeah, you're right.

-It will definitely help for the victimology.

-Guys, there's something amiss with a few of them.

-What is it?

-See the way the blood is splattered all over this guy's face?" asked Spencer showing one of the bodies, "Well, on this one," he said showing another one on a second picture, "there's nothing above his eyebrows. It's... it's like there was something covering his forehead.

-You think the unsub took it?

-It could be.

-It may be his trophy then.

-Well done, Reid. Look at every picture and see if others present the same thing."

It was roughly three hours after someone brought the BAU members some fruits and biscuits that Sakura knocked at the door. When she came in, she could see the team dispatched all over the room. They looked pretty tired/

"-Miss Haruno." Welcomed Aaron.

"-Just Sakura, please. I'm younger than you. So how are you doing?

-Well, it certainly isn't an easy case but you already know that.

-Yeah... But enough about work, you had a long day. I'm here to show you to your hotel.

-Well then, we're following you." Everyone followed her out with a relived sigh. It had been a very long afternoon, and they were glad to leave it behind.

They headed through different hallways before Sakura knocked on a door. When they walked inside, the FBI agents realized this most likely was Tsunade's office.

"-Ah! Our guests. I trust you had an interesting afternoon?

-You could say that.

-I appreciate you getting to work straight away. We'll just quickly go over a few things before letting you get some well-deserved rest. Kakashi shouldn't be long now."

Just as she finished her sentenced, the tall man walked in through the door.

"-All right. So, what have you found?

-We went through a few case files. We thought working on them first would be our priority before moving onto the rest of the box.

-Why not all at once?" asked Kakashi.

"-Too much information without background would only cloud our judgement. We will proceed like any other case we've worked: by treating this like ay other regular unsub.

-_Unsub_?

-Unknown subject.

-Not plural? What led you to believe that there was only one executioner?

-It wasn't. He definitely had some help at some point, but for the most part, it is the work of an individual.

-What led you to that?

-The blood trail," answered Derek.

Tsunade smirked as Kakashi raised and eyebrow and Sakura startled in slight surprise. They hadn't expected the team to work this out so quickly.

"-In one of the case files, the one in the woods, the fact that the blood is splattered in a definite direction leads us to believe that this is the work of a single man," explained Spencer. "It's not easy to see, but we can observe that the onslaught probably began in one direction and then went another way on other pictures. There are, however, some random traces, like if the unsub came out of his pattern for some of the victims.

-Interesting," commented Kakashi, fixing intensely Spencer's face. Derek had the feeling that the man found Spencer's explanation in itself interesting rather that the conclusion of said explanation.

"-What else did you find?" asked Sakura.

"-The weapon..." said Emily, "it's probably a saber or something of the like."

At this, all three of their hosts fixed their eyes on her and then on her colleagues, apparently jauging them. After a few seconds, Kakashi smiled. Spencer immediately got the impression that the BAU members just passed a test that they hadn't been aware of taking.

"-I think it was a good idea to call you guys in. But enough for now. You have deserved a break for tonight. We have arranged for you to stay at a nearby hotel for the duration of your stay. You are more than welcome to go around the village as long as you stay out of restricted areas of course. Sakura will show you. I will try and move you to a more comfortable work place in the ext few days, but you might have to stay where you are for now. Is there anything you might need?

-I'd like Morgan and Prentiss to go to the crime scene tomorrow if possible?

-Impossible. The pictures you saw were taken months ago, there's nothing left there.

-How can you be sure we wouldn't find anything?" Derek interjected.

"-Because we _made _sure there was nothing left." answered Kakashi. This brought back some tension in the room before Tsunade spoke up again.

"-I'm sorry for this is just not possible. I'm afraid you're going to have to work with what you have. Go, you've had a long day, get some rest. Have a lovely evening."

Recognizing the dismissal for what it was, the BAU thanked her and followed Sakura out of the office.

Once outside, the BAU members could finally see where they were. Before them was a bustling pedestrian city, full of people but strangely peaceful despite the crowd. As Sakura lead the way to their hotel she explained the general lay-out of the city:

"-So, as you might have guessed, we've just left the administrative sector of the village. Here is the market street. Your hotel is ten minutes away from here. There's a fine BBQ restaurant over there..."

As they walked by a large building, Emily asked:

"-And this, what is it?

-Oh, that's the Academy.

-Is that where you and Naruto and Sai went?

-Just Naruto. Sai got trained somewhere else. But yeah, this is where we met... Aah, those were the days...

-What about Sai?" asked Derek.

"-He joined our unit only a few years ago. I don't exactly know where he... studied."

A few minutes later the hotel came into view. As their entered the hall, Spencer noticed a sign on the front door. Sakura went directly to the woman at the desk.

"-It's for civilians only." Came the harsh voice of the receptionist.

Sakura sighed:

"-I know. Tsunade-sama made reservation for those four people for an undetermined period of time.

-Right." The woman's tone was more cheerful than seconds before. "I'm sorry but I only have three rooms left.

-But we booked four rooms.

-Yes, but there has been some... incident earlier this afternoon and five rooms were damaged; leaving me with only three.

-Oh. What happened?

-Ask your colleagues." the woman answered bitterly. Sakura grinned sheepishly, regretting asking her.

"-It won't be a problem." Interrupted Aaron. "Derek and Spencer will share a room, and JJ and Emily the other, if that's ok with you?" he said, turning to the others.

"-Sure.

-No problem.

-Okay then. If that's ok with everyone, I'll be on my way.

-Wait. Do you know some nice place to eat?" asked Emily.

"-Of course! What do you like?

-We're not difficult.

-There's the BBQ we passed earlier or...

-BBQ's fine." Said Spencer.

"-Wanna join us?" asked Derek.

"-I wouldn't want to intrude...

-No, it's fine! "answered Emily. "Plus, we can continue our girly talks!" She added with good humor.

"-Ahah! Yeah, I can understand that, no offense.

-None taken.

-Ok so what about that: I'll let you relax and unpack your things and I come, say... in half an hour to pick you up?

-Great!"

After she left them, the team proceeded to unpack their things in their respective room.

"-Did you notice?" asked Spencer in the room he was to share with Derek.

"-Notice what?

-Well, when we entered the building, there was a sign on the door, and the woman in the hall... She insisted that this hotel was for civilians only.

-Yeah, I noticed. I don't know, Reid. Let's not worry with that for now, we had a long day and I'm starving."

Forty minutes later they were all sitting in the nice BBQ restaurant. As the time passed and their food arrived they were having a nice conversation. Emily was talking with Sakura while the three men of the team were talking between them.

"-So are you the only girl in your team?

-Yeah, always have been.

-That must suck. I mean, I love them," Jennifer said, pointing to Aaron, Spencer and Derek with her head, "but there is only so much testosterone I can deal with in a day. I'm glad I have Emily and Penelope there too.

-Must be nice... Don't get me wrong, I love my team. But, you know, sometimes it would be nice to have another girl I could talk to.

-Yeah, I can understand."

All of a sudden, Sakura tensed up. A man approached their table. He was tall, had wild brown hair and dark eyes. He seemed to be the same age as Sakura.

"-Sakura.

-Kiba, what is it?"

The young man looked briefly over the table. Apparently he would have preferred Sakura to be alone.

"-It's... It's Hiro. He won't come back, I'm sorry."

The BAU members watched their now silent host, wondering how she would react. Her face was surprisingly blank...

"-Who?" ... as was her voice.

"-Sound" Was Kiba's answer. Anger flared in Sakura.

"-Sons of bitches."

Her face was now set in a mask of cold anger and determination. After a few seconds she took a deep breath.

"-Thanks Kiba for telling me. Do you need me?

-Shino's been hurt but nothing serious.

-Good.

-I... I have to go, I need to tell Naruto.

-Don't. I will tell him. He won't be happy.

-Thanks. Well... See you later.

-Yeah, 'later."

Kiba nodded to the BAU members and left the restaurant. The silence at the table was uncomfortable. Finally Jennifer was the one to break it.

"-Are you all right?

-Yes.

-We're sorry. Was he someone close?

-Thank you. He was my neighboor. We weren't exactly friends but he was a nice guy. A little younger. Naruto will be pissed, though. He liked him. He sort of looked after him after his parents died last year.

-You can leave if you want, we'd understand.

-Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow if I can.

-Bye."

They watched her as she stood up and left the restaurant.

"-I hope she'll be okay" said Emily.

After that, they finished their supper in silence before going back to their hotel. They would have another long day tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey people!_

_Here is the second chapter, also rewritten._

_Please note that chapter length will vary greatly._

_Chuurs!_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The next day, they found themselves in Tsunade's office again after a long few hours of going through gruesome case files from the box. It was the early evening and they were about to head in for the night.

When they entered the office, they took notice of Naruto, silently standing in a corner of the room.

"-Good afternoon, everyone!

-Good afternoon, Ma'am.

-So, have you made any progress?

-Yes. The information in the box is very helpful. We already have a profile but since you knew the perpetrator, we are working a little differently than what we usually do. Delivering the preliminary profile wouldn't help you much. We need more time to draw a precise and detailed profile in order for it to be of any help.

-All ri-" The blonde woman cut herself mid-sentence. "Enter!

-Tsunade-sama." A dark haired man came into the room, a file in hand. He was wearing some kind of military uniform. He nodded to the BAU members as he walked to the desk. He handled the file to Tsunade before taking a step back and waiting as she read what was on the first page. Her brow furrowed and she _tssk_-ed.

"-Damn those bastards" she mumbled. "Fine!" She straightened. "Kotetsu, you're dismissed." The man bowed and left the room. "Naruto." The young man didn't say anything but his eyes were fixed on Tsunade's. "Takara's band has acted one time too many, deal with them.

-Permanently?

-Permanently." Whereas Naruto's tone was blank, Tsunade's was somber and carried a final weight. The BAU members tried to understand what was all that about as they watch the blond man leaving the office without another word. They noted that, contrary to the other guy – Kotetsu - Naruto didn't bow.

"-Has something bad happened?" asked Spencer.

"-Nothing that concerns you. So, where were we?

-We need a few more days to build a profile.

-All right. I won't keep you any longer, then. If you need anything, you can ask Team Kakashi. Good luck."

When they were out of her office and heading outside, Emily didn't waste any time expressing herself:

"-What the hell was that?

-It's none of our business" said Aaron.

"-I know but it was weird. Did this Kotetsu guy actually wear a military uniform?

-If that's the case, it's none of our business. We were warned that this was a special organization, she did say they were similar to the CIA. We were told this was a joined military intervention. We've only been in the administrative part of the building so we wouldn't know, but what if it is some sort of military compound?

-Well, that would change the whole profile" answered Spencer. There was a tense pause before Aaron spoke again.

"-We don't know. This might have been just one person.

-Hotch. You know we _have_ to know," interjected Derek. "We can't build an accurate profile if we're not given accurate information. If the unsub, whatever his name is, since it's too classified for us to know, is part of the military we have to know."

Aaron sighed.

"-I know. I'll see what I can do. Meanwhile, we keep digging in what we have. I'm well aware we don't have his complete file but let's make the best of what we do have."

The rest of the evening was uneventful. They went for a walk around the district, where they found a cosy restaurant to have some food before heading back to the hotel for a well-deserved sleep. It was one of those cases that typically had each member of the team in a thoughtful silence. Aaron knew his team. He knew it was going to be a long one. Paradoxically, long cases were the most tiresome. They required each agent to find a balance between work and rest. They always performed well on any case, but slow burning ones were always harder to get into. They could be frustrating. Urgent cases, the ones happening around them were easier, for lack of a better word: the team was used to take it all in, focussing entirely on the case until it was resolved. Sleeping and resting times were to be found whenever possible, personal time out on hold completely. This was not the case here. Here, they had to work on the case but they also had to let it go in the evening. They couldn't take anything out of their work room (the order had been very strict). They expected to be here for at least a few weeks. They couldn't afford to exhaust themselves working day and night. In the long run, it would work against them. Aaron wasn't worried. They would settle in their own rhythm in a few days. It always took them some time to adapt to their new environment. He would try a find something for them to do on their down time though. He could already feel Derek getting cranky after two days inside. Not that he could blame him. His thoughts drifted to Jack, hoping to see him soon but knowing it would be a long assignment without any news from him.

The next day shaped up to be just the same as the previous two. Spencer seemed unaffected but the tension that was slowly building in the small room, especially around Derek.

They were more than half way through the contains of the box. So far, the files contained more crime scene photos, autopsy reports, geographical info as well as a thin file with personal data of the unsub: date of birth, notes and photos from his Academy days. Most of the information had been blacked out.

As Spencer looked into what was left into the box, he found a thin blue file.

"-Guys, I think I found something."

His colleagues interrupted their works and approached him as he was reading the first page of the file.

"-What is it?

-It's... It's a psychological profile.

-What?!

-Well, Reid, what does it say?

-It's not a regular profile.

-What do you mean?

-It was made when he was five years old," answered darkly Spencer. A few seconds of shocked silence followed his declaration.

"-Five years old? Who draws a psychological profile of a five-year old kid?

-Maybe something horrible happened...

-Wait, wait... Ah! No, apparently nothing happened. Look, here it says it's regular procedure to profile every children when he or she reaches five years old.

-Wow, that's just weird," declared Emily.  
"-Okay, Reid, keep reading that profile and see if you can find anything," ordered Aaron.

Spencer didn't even answer as he was already totally absorbed by his task. The first page was the conclusion of the test. The following pages were the actual written part of the test. The oral part had been written down on the following pages. An hour later, Aaron called for a debriefing.

"-Okay, let's see what we have. Morgan?

-Maybe something horrible happened...

-Wait, wait... Ah! No, apparently nothing happened. Look, here it says it's regular procedure to profile every children when he or she reaches five years old.

-Wow, that's just weird," declared Emily.

"-Okay, Reid, keep reading that profile and see if you can find anything," ordered Aaron.

Spencer didn't even answer as he was already totally absorbed by his task. The first page was the conclusion of the test. The following pages were the actual written part of the test. The oral part had been written down on the following pages. An hour later, Aaron called for a debriefing.

"-Okay, let's see what we have. Morgan?

-There's something weird about the autopsies. Reid was right about the weapon; the legist said the cuts are long and perfectly clean. The killer stroke with surgical efficiency, they were dead before realizing they were hurt. This guy knows the human body and he knows how to use his weapon.

-Emily?

-I couldn't find anything relevant about the victims or the crime scenes that we didn't see before. They were apparently part of a group, a military group. The choice of the crime scene doesn't reveal anything, I'd say it happened there because the victims were there. And he didn't bother to hide the bodies, it's like he didn't even care if they were found.

-Yeah, I couldn't find anything either. JJ?

-Same. I don't have much about the victims. Except for Jane Doe, all were young fit males. Apparently their physical form suggests high levels of conditioning but we already suspect some kind of military involvement. No surprise there it this is a military thing. Absolutely nothing about their identity. That kind of baffles me actually. It doesn't look like anyone tried to identify them. At all. There's just something weird about all of this, Hotch. We'vre been working with those files for days now and I don't think there's anything else we can get out of them.

-Reid?

-All right. So there were three profiles in the file. The first one was drawn when the unsub was five. I didn't see anything special except for the fact that it was a child's profile. He seemed to have a normal childhood until then. He doesn't talk much about his family except for his big brother. He seems to admire him but be jealous of him, too.

-That's hardly something to worry about, normal family stuff.

-Yes, until a few years later.

-What happened?

-His entire family was killed, he was the only one to survive.

-Oh my God! Did they catch the killer?

-They didn't catch him but they know who it is. It was in a 'confidential' envelope.

-Who was it?

-His brother.

-Are you serious?

-Unfortunately. The file says that the brother slaughtered the entire family before disappearing. They never caught him. The unsub was eight. He wasn't injured but was in a coma for several days. When he woke up, he didn't speak for a whole month and was kept in the hospital. He refused to eat for the first three weeks. He was released five weeks after the massacre. He went back to school but didn't bond with his classmates. He barely spoke, only when asked a question in class.

-What about the person who took him in?

-Nothing.

-Not a word?!

-No, apparently, nobody took him in.

-What?! How is that possible? He was only eight!

-No wonder he ended up killing people. This single event trauma is the perfect mold for a killing machine if unchecked.

-It's a wonder in itself that he survived his childhood, if we can call it that.

-After that, he didn't have a childhood anymore.

-You said there were several profiles. What do the others tell?

-Nothing much, he became a lonely child and everything that goes with it. His score at the Academy stayed surprisingly stable, he was the first of his class when he graduated.

-And after that?

-I don't have anything. The last test dates from when he was twelve, the day after the graduation.

-Hum. Okay. Well-" Aaron interrupted his speech when someone knocked at the door. "Come in."

Sakura entered the room and greeted everyone.

"-Hi! So how are you doi-" She fell silent as she saw the psychological profile on the desk. Her face darkened and her whole body tensed up, though it was obvious to every person in the room that she was trying to hide it.

"-Sakura? Are you all right?

-Uh? Oh, yeah, yeah.

-So, you personally knew him?" asked Derek.

"-I..." she sighed, "We went to school together. We were in the same class at the Academy.

-Really? What was he like?

-I don't like to talk about it.

-We need to know. It would help us build an accurate profile, we're sorry.

-It's ok, I understand," she sighed. She seemed to be thinking about something. Finally, she said "Come with me. I don't wanna talk about him here". Her eyes switched rapidly over the photos of the crime scenes on the wall.

Sakura led them to a tea house. She chose a table at the back of the shop, separated from the rest of the tables by wooden panels. After ordering drinks, she kept silent for a few minutes. She was struggling with how to begin her story.

"-Sas... _He _wasn't a killer. Sure I was young and I didn't pay attention to that kind of things. But I remember when he was young. He was always smiling when he was with his family. When his brother would come to fetch him after school, he would be the happiest little boy you could imagine. When we were six I bumped into him and his mother at a festival. I didn't recognize him. Sure he wasn't a bad kid in class, but I had never seen him smiling as broadly as that day. In class I guess he was okay. Always the best in everything but he didn't have a lot of friends, though he got along with a few kids. Then, a few months after my eighth birthday he didn't come to school for several weeks. We didn't know why at the time. When he came back to class, he was totally different. By then, rumors about his family had spread. He wouldn't speak to us anymore, merely answering the teachers. He closed himself off. He wouldn't care for the others. At that time I sort of had a crush on him, a childish love. I used to follow him everywhere. He would spend all of his free time training. The years passed by and nothing changed. He would always reject everybody, me included, even if I wouldn't see it. I understood that later, when it was already too late."

She paused, drawn back in time by memories. The BAU members didn't dare shaking her out of it. They had plenty of questions already, but they suspected she would stop talking if they asked them. They understood her need to stop for a moment. When they thought she wouldn't continue, she did.

"-Anyway. We graduated, him almost scoring a perfect score," she snorted, "I was the only one to outperform him in the history part of the exam. After graduation we were put on the same team together with Naruto.

-Naruto?!" Emily couldn't stop herself.

"-Yeah. The teams are made to be balanced. Sasuke being at the top of the class and Naruto being the dead last, they were put on the same team. I was put together with them to... I don't know, maybe it was so I could prevent them from killing each other or pulling the team together, I don't know. At the time, all I knew was that I was on the same team as Sa... _him_. That was all that mattered to me.

-What are these teams you're speaking about? Don't you go to high school after graduating the Academy?

-Hn? Uuh no. I guess it's a little different than what you're used to. Let's just say that it's more like an apprenticeship.

-Uh uh.

-Did Naruto and he not get along?

-Not really. They were always arguing about something. But I don't think they really meant it. Again, I didn't understand that until much later. Back then, all I was seeing was that Naruto kept bugging him and prevented us to go on a date. Gosh was I stupid. Most of the time, they would just say harsh things to each other but never really hurt the other. Kakashi made sure of that.

-Kakashi? The same Kakashi that we know?

-Yes, he already was our instructor back then. But one day things got serious. It was after the first part of an exam that was supposed to go on for a few weeks; we were almost thirteen. They fought, I couldn't stop them. Kakashi arrived a few minutes after the beginning of the fight but Naruto had already hurt Sasuke." She didn't seem to notice she had used his name. The others certainly wouldn't tell her: at last they could put a name on their unsub.

-Hurt?

-He broke his arm. I think Sasuke was the one to begin the fight though. When Naruto left the roof, he seemed so so sad. I had never seen him like that before. I guess something Sasuke had said had hit home. After that incident, Kakashi was furious. He sent Naruto with another instructor for a month and left with Sasuke to train. I don't know much of what happened during that month. I was on my own and I had to prepare for the second part of the exam. Finally I guess everything seemed to settle down. After the inv... exam we went back to our routine. Sasuke was even more closed off to us than before but I thought it was only because of what happened on the roof."

Sakura paused for a few seconds, absently tapping her fingers on her cold tea cup, eyes far away.

"-Just after Naruto turned thirteen we went outside of the village and there were complications... We were attacked. Kakashi had been badly hurt, I had to keep the client safe so I had to stay by his side. Sasuke and Naruto had to fend for themselves and protect us. But Sasuke... I don't know what happened. I don't know if Naruto knows and if he does, he'd never tell me. All I know is that all of a sudden Sasuke is down, bleeding profusely and barely conscious. His opponent was closing in for the final strike. I saw everything in slow motion. It was horrible. Kakashi, lying on the floor, Sasuke too. Blood everywhere. I couldn't move. Naruto was too far away... I have absolutely no idea how he did it but he managed to finish off his opponent and suddenly he was _there_. He saved Sasuke's life."

"I think that was when everything really started to go down. Or maybe it was even before that, I'm not sure. When Sasuke woke up, Kakashi was still in a coma. The first thing he did was ask Naruto for a fight. Of course Naruto refused. It went on for a few weeks: Sasuke demanding a fight from Naruto, Naruto refusing and Kakashi trying to reason with Sasuke. But one day Sasuke snapped. We should have seen it coming. It was the day of the sixth anniversary of his family's death. Kakashi was out of the village. Sasuke provoked Naruto. Badly. He knew him, his buttons, all he had to do was push them all. I had never realized he knew Naruto so well until then. I thought I knew them but I was wrong."

The young girl's voice became raspy, a low almost murmur.

"-I didn't know anything about them. Just what I wanted to see."

Her tone become stronger again, less emotional.

"-After a few unsuccessful injures, Sasuke just said one word. One. Single. Word. The only word capable of triggering a reaction out of Naruto. How can one word be so strong? It's ridiculous, isn't it?"

A short bitter laugh escaped her. Clearly, her question was not meant for her audience.

"-Just one word… And it worked, Naruto reacted. Oh my God, he reacted."

An unvoluntary shiver went down her spine and arms.

"That's when my world crumbled. Sasuke and Naruto were fighting. They were fighting to _hurt _each other, to inflict pain, both physically and mentally. I couldn't _do_ anything. I've always been way behind them in terms of power. I couldn't bring myself to move. I just… I couldn't. They were my family, protecting one would have meant hurting the other. I just couldn't. And I did well not to. I realized a few years later that I would have been killed if I had tried anything. Their fight brought them away from the village. I couldn't follow them, they were too fast. I don't know what happened. Naruto refuses to speak about it ever since. Next thing I know, Kakashi is bringing back a bloody and comatose Naruto. Sasuke is nowhere to be found."

Silence stretched for a few minutes. Sakura had closed her eyes, pain evident in the tightness of her face.

"We saw him again two years later but we couldn't do anything, we just crossed each other. Not even a word." She swallowed in an attempt to lessen the dryness in her throat, the lump of emotions threatening to slip past her control, as always when she was reliving these days.

"-They... We were a family. I needed them, both of them. And I lost them both. I didn't lose Naruto the way I lost Sasuke, but he was never the same again after that. It broke him. It broke _us_. Even Kakashi changed. Kakashi, who'd tried so hard to deal with a team when he couldn't even take care of himself properly. I didn't realize it at the time. He was our sensei, you know? Strong and stable and he was supposed to know everything. He didn't. He wasn't. He was just as lost as us. He changed a little, became more serious. He… I don't actually know what changed with him. I was too far gone in my grief to notice anything else. I think they were too, Kakashi and Naruto. There was a vital piece missing in our lives. Sai arrived in our team when we were sixteen."

She paused again.

"I don't know what happened. I mean I don't understand how everything broke. Sure we weren't a perfect team but we were a _family_. A family with broken members. Then we became a broken family, a broken family with broken members."

She snorted.

"-And I thought I was in love with him... I didn't even _know_ him."

She took a deep breath and pulled herself back together.

"-Well, I hope that will help you. I gotta go so..."

The BAU members could see she wanted to be alone or at least away from them. She was already standing up, face closed off and eyes avoiding contact.

"-Oh, okay, sure!

-Thank you for sharing this with us.

-Don't mention it.

-No, really, it must have been pretty hard to share your memories with perfect strangers.

-It was, but you needed it so... Anyway, I'm serious, don't mention it to Naruto, he would be furious.

-Why?

-His relation with Sasuke ran deeper than I ever imagined. What happened literally broke him. And if he was to know that I told you that, he would never forgive me.

-Okay. What about Kakashi?

-If you can find him, you can always ask. Doesn't mean he will answer you. Well, see you later!"

She was out of the teashop a few seconds later.

"-Well, we got more to work on," said Derek.

"-Yep.

-Okay, Morgan and Prentiss, I want you to find Kakashi; JJ and Reid, go back to the office and review what we have in light of what we just learnt. I'll be speaking with Tsunade."

After paying for their drinks, they did as Aaron told.

The five of them went back together to the office building before parting ways. Emily and Derek went to ask for Kakashi's whereabouts. After asking several people without any results, they left the building.

"-So, where do we go?

-I don't know.

-Excuse me?" came a voice from behind them.

"-Yes?

-I heard you were looking for Kakashi." The man was tall and had broad shoulders. His skin seemed naturally tanned. His hair and beard were brown and shaggy. His eyes were a deep, almost-black brown.

"-Do you know where he is, Mr...?

-Asuma, Sarutobi Asuma. And no, I don't know where he is but I know where he might be.

-Could you indicate us the way?

-Well, I was heading this way so just follow me." And the trio walked by the street. "So you're the guys they invited in to help, uh?" Asuma asked casually. Everything about him felt casual.

"-That would be us. I'm Derek Morgan.

-Emily Prentiss.

-Asuma. Nice to meet ya.

-So, you know Kakashi?

-Yep," answered Asuma as he lit up a cigarette, "we work together from time to time.

-Is he always that hard to find?

-Yep. That's Hatake Kakashi for you." Emily and Derek didn't know where they were heading. They hadn't been to that part of town yet.

"-Where do you think he might be?

-Dunno. Maybe in the park or at the cenotaph. At this time of the day, I'd say training ground, though.

-Training ground?

-Ah yeah, part of our job. Anyway, why are you looking for him?

-We need his help with something, ask him a few questions.

-Hm. You could always ask him... Doesn't mean he'll answer you.

-You're the second one to tell us that.

-Ahah! Lemme guess, first one was Pinkie. I ain't surprised.

-Why do you say that?

-Well, she does know him pretty well. Knows he ain't the type of guy to answer questions."

They arrived at the park. Asuma led them through it. When they didn't find Kakashi, Asuma took another direction.

"-Training grounds it is, then.

-We don't want to keep you from what you have to do, just indicate us the way, we'll be fine.

-It's ok. I need to see him anyway so why not now? Plus I doubt you'd be able to find him without some help, no offense. He's damn hard to find when he wants to be and the training area is pretty big.

-You sure?

-Yeah, don't worry.

-Ok, thanks.

-Why wouldn't Kakashi answer us? I mean, if he knows something that could help us, why not tell us?"

Asuma looked at the sky, silent for a few moments. Then he sighed.

"-Look, I know I'm not working on this case but I know what it is about. I'm guessing that if you're looking for him, then you know about his connection to it. Some of it at least. I know my friend. Kakashi just isn't the kinda guy who will discuss his deepest emotions with you. Or with with anyone, for that matter. This... This whole thing, his student deserting… It shook him pretty hard. It shook all of us. If he doesn't want to talk about it, fine, I let him be. If he needs me, I'm here and he knows it. We all have secrets, we all have scars and we all have injuries that aren't healed yet and that maybe will never heal, he more than a lot of people.

-Has something bad happened to him?

-Something bad?" A dry, humorless chuckle. "With Kakashi, it's easier to keep track of the good that happens to him, saves you a lot of time. Look, it's not my place to say. To put it simply, he has a pretty shitty past. As I said, we all have scars, but Kakashi... If I had to go through half the shit that happened to him, I wouldn't be here to talk about it, if you know what I mean. I don't know how, I don't know why, but he's still there. And I'm grateful for it. If keeping everything bottled up is his way of coping, it's fine with me.

-Don't you think it'd be better to let it all out? Before he snaps?"

Asuma laughed a dry and empty laugh.

"-Believe me, whenever or _if_ he snaps, there's nothing we can do to prevent it. There are not a lot of people in this world that could. I hope it never happens because the day he snaps, it won't be pretty."

His tone was somber, his deep voice low and dark.

"-Ah! Almost there!"

Emily and Derek were taken aback. The smile on Asuma's face completely covering the dark mood just present seconds before. His shifting of mood almost gave a whiplash to Derek and Emily. From dark and serious, he instantaneously became cheerful. It was almost scary.

They were now out of town. Before them were large fields of grass on the left. On the right, trees blocked the view. They kept walking, passing by the trees. Before long, they arrived at an empty rocky ground. Asuma stopped at what seemed to be the entrance. He spoke seemingly to nobody as he lit up another cigarette:

"-How ya been?

-I can't hide from you, can I?

-Nope."

Suddenly, Kakashi was next to the group. Emily and Derek hadn't seen him coming and so were surprised by his appearance. He looked totally different from the last time they saw him, the day they arrived. He was wearing the same marine cargo pants they saw on the guy in Tsunade's office, the same as Asuma's; the same deep green jacket on top of the same marine shirt. What startled them though was the mask that was covering the lower half of his face, as well as the headband hiding his left eye. On it was a symbol they couldn't decipher.

"-Yo!" Kakashi greeted with his usual laid back attitude.

"-Kakashi," said Asuma, "can I talk to you a second? Then I'll let you with our guests."

The two men took a few steps back. Emily and Derek couldn't hear what they were talking about and nothing in their body language translated anything of what they thought. After a short conversation, Kakashi came back to them while Asuma waved them goodbye and walked in the opposite direction.

"-Is everything okay?

-Hm? Oh yeah, nothing special. So, you wanted to see me?

-Yes.

-We would like to ask you a few questions regarding Sasuke." At that, Kakashi tensed up.

"-Who gave you his name?

-It was in a file in the box," lied Emily, not wanting Sakura to have any trouble with her superior.

"-Hm. What do you want to know?" Asked Kakashi as he begun to walk without any direction in mind.

"-We need as much information about him as you can give us." The silver haired man stayed silent for a while before answering.

"-I'm not the one you should ask that kind of stuff.

-Who is?

-Naruto. But he will never answer you.

-That's what Sakura and Asuma said about you when we asked them where you were.

-No, they probably said that I wouldn't _necessarily_ answer your questions. Naruto _won't _answer your questions.

-So you're gonna help us?

-I didn't say that." Emily and Derek were quite amazed by the man's capacity to effectively _not _answer the questions. Fine, he was not their first one to play it like that.

"-Well, we won't know until we try. So, what can you tell us?" Again, Kakashi stayed silent before answering.

"-I can't tell you much but since there's no way Naruto will answer you – and that is, _if_ you can find him – I guess I'll have to help you. What can I say? Sasuke was my student. I became the head of the squad when they were twelve. He wasn't exactly a quiet kid but he was silent most of the time. When he talked it was often to bicker with Naruto. Nothing really hurtful. They got along really well.

-Really? Sakura told us the exact opposite.

-She was just a kid. No, they were friends. Not exactly what you call a regular friendship, but they were friends like they could. They were both lonely. Sakura had her family. Naruto and Sasuke... They found themselves in each other: alone in a world that didn't care about them.

-Alone? Didn't they have anyone that looked out for them?

-No. Sakura knew that but I don't think she understood exactly what it meant until a few years ago. So Sasuke and Naruto, even if they seemed to hate each other, they were dependent on one another. Alone together, they weren't so alone anymore. But it changed. I should have seen it. They became serious in their fights. Naruto was becoming stronger, it didn't sit well with Sasuke. He blamed Naruto for a lot of things. He was the easiest person to blame, even if most things didn't have anything to do with him. Everything went to Hell when Naruto beat Sasuke. He was able to do it long before that, but Sasuke was his friend, he would never have hurt him. But Sasuke hurt him. I wasn't there, I don't know why they begun to fight. I arrived only after a few minutes but Naruto had already put Sasuke in his place. I kept them apart for a month. After that everything seemed to be normal again but something was amiss. Several months later, I had to leave the village for a few weeks. On my way back I found Naruto alone, badly hurt and unconscious. I brought him back to the village and then I understood. He and Sasuke had fought, seriously. And Sasuke was gone, he had left. We looked for him. We tried to understand. For several weeks if not months, everything we did was related to 'finding Sasuke'. But we never found him. Until two years later in a city we were going through on our way to an assignment. We couldn't stop to look for him. When we came back three days later, he was already gone. That's the last time we actually saw him.

-I don't understand. If this is the last time you saw him, how can you know he's the killer?

-We heard about him, but above all, we know him. Even if we hadn't heard of his activities, we'd know he's the killer. We'd recognize his skills anywhere.

-How? His 'skills'? What do you mean?

-Ah... That I can't reveal."

Kakashi fell silent. Their walk had let them back to the entrance of the village.

"-I believe you can find your way from here?

-Yes but we're not done.

-I am. See ya!" And with that, he left them alone. Flabbergasted Emily and Derek took the direction of their office.

"-There's something fishy about all that stuff," declared Derek.

"-Yeah! I don't know what it is but there's definitely something more going on. There is no way we can build a profile with what we have, not with so much unknown.

-I'm with you on that. I have no idea what we're doing here. Okay, let's go back to the others and find out what they have."

Twenty minutes later, they were back at the office.

"-Hey Reid, JJ!

-Hey guys!

-Hotch isn't there?

-No, he's speaking with Tsunade. Did you find something?

-Definitely."

As Emily spoke with Spencer, Aaron came into the room.

"-So?" asked Derek.

"-I went to see Tsunade about the confidentiality of the case. As she says, she's well aware that it isn't easy to lead an investigation like this one, but she can't help us. We were given everything that we're cleared to see. Everything else is off limits.

-We can't exactly say it's a surprise. _Our_ CIA hardly thrusts us enough to call us more than once. Here we're not even from the same country, can't blame them for being prudent.

-Yeah, but it doesn't help us.

-I know, Morgan, I know. So, did you find Kakashi?

-We did. We also met this guy, Asuma. Apparently he works with Kakashi from time to time. I'd say they've known each other for a long time; Asuma seemed to know him pretty well. He helped us find Kakashi.

-Apparently, Sakura was wrong. According to Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke were friends pretty much from the start.

-Yes, they related to the other: lonely childhood, no one to care for them. The rest of Kakashi's version matches Sakura's.

-Did you find anything else?

-This is definitely some sort of serious military organization.

-What make you say that?

-Asuma and Kakashi wore the same uniform as that Kotetsu guy. From what Asuma told us, training is a full part of their job and Kakashi kept referring to his team as a 'squad'.

-Do you think Sasuke was part of that too?

-Yes. First, Tsunade did tell us he was one of their agents. But Kakashi said he became head of the squad when they were twelve.

-That would be when he graduated. Are you saying that they enroll children?

-I think they do.

-Am I the only one who's shocked by that?

-No, JJ. But that's not all. Kakashi told us that it's been a few years since they last saw Sasuke. Despite that, they are absolutely sure he's the unsub. According to him, they would be able to, and I quote, _recognize __his __skills anytime_.

-What skills?

-I think he was talking about his killing skills," said darkly Derek. "I don't think this is just any kind of military organization.

-Oh my God, you're right!" exclaimed Emily. "When we were in Tsunade's office yesterday, she ordered Naruto to deal with some group of troublemakers. He asked her if he had to deal with them _permanently_...

-Wow, wow, wow, guys! Do you realize what you're saying is huge?

-Reid is right. You can't just accuse these people of being cold-blooded killers.

-But Hotch...

-No. We do know that this is a military task force, that this is a special organization, we were warned it was like the CIA. Okay. But you would be wrong to bring it to that kind of level. Our CIA agents do have killing skills, even _we _have killing skills, the military do have killing skills, it's part of the job. Now, we go back to our work, and deal with the case like we would a CIA case, am I clear?

-Very."

A few hours later, when Aaron dismissed them, Emily and Spencer decided to go for a walk. It was still early in the evening but they were off duty: there wasn't any need to hurry on the case. They had decided to relax and enjoy the warmth of the late-spring evening. As they walked through the park to a little restaurant they wanted to try out, Emily said:

"-Did you notice how everything is quiet here?

-Yeah. There are a lot of people but surprisingly the city is pretty quiet. There isn't any noise, people don't fight... We've been here for a few days already and we haven't seen anything like bar-fight or whatever.

-It's a good change from what we know, right. No cars, no trucks, no traffic, no noise, no pollution. It's like we are in the XIXth century and yet, they have phones, television, computers... It's amazing."

Soon the restaurant came into view, almost in front of one of the park entrances. It was a Japanese-style noodle restaurant. They went inside and took a seat at the counter. After ordering, they carried on their conversation.

"-I wonder though," said Spencer, "What if there is a fire or something? I didn't see any fire station and if there is no car...

-You're not from here, are you?" asked kindly the owner of the stand. "Don't worry, we have our own way of dealing with that kind of things.

-How?

-Aah. It would be quite complicated to explain... So, what do you think of our village?

-Well... It's... It's interesting, nothing like what we know, yet not that different.

-That's our home," he said proudly, "I've lived here all my life, and my parents before me. I've travelled around a bit when I was a young man, but there's nothing like Konoha.

-That's right, old man!" came a deep voice from the entrance.

"-Ah! Asuma-san! Haven't seen you in a while.

-Sorry. I've been around, you know what it's like.

-Don't worry. I'll forgive you as soon as you sit down.

-Ahah! Thanks, old man. It'll be the usual." He said as he sat down next to Spencer. "Miss Prentiss." He nodded to Emily.

"-Mr Sarutobi. This is my colleague Dr Spencer Reid.

-Sarutobi Asuma, nice to meet ya. Just call me Asuma.

-Nice to meet you.

-So, enjoying life in our wonderful village?

-As you can see. It's nice not to think about your job for a few moments.

-I know what you mean, believe me I do. I guess working as a profiler isn't easy stuff, uh?

-Not exactly." Emily agreed.

"-What is it like anyway? If you don't mind me spoiling your dinner.

-Not at all. Like you said, being a profiler isn't easy. You have to understand things that others don't, to anticipate what others can't even imagine, you have to see things on a daily basis that you wouldn't even want as nightmare. But worst of all, you have to _think_, to understand. We have not only to understand the killer, but to become him. To think like him, to anticipate his every move.

-Basically, we analyze his whole being, mentally speaking, and manipulate our own way of thinking into thinking like a killer," added Spencer. "His likes and dislikes become our own, his every needs become our own.

-What kind of person do I want to kill? Where, when? How? What do I want to do to him or her before their actual death? Will I let them die or will I play with them? Will I use a knife, acid, electricity? Will I break their mind before breaking their body? We have to feel all those things. You wouldn't believe what the human being is able to do, how twisted the mind can become.

-I think I would." Asuma said darkly. After a few seconds, Emily answered:

"-Maybe you would."

A few minutes passed in silence. The tension was broken when Teuchi served everyone their order and they began to eat in a lighter mood. They discussed a bit more after they were done. Not long after, Emily and Spencer decided to call it a night and return to their hotel. They thanked the restaurant's owner and wished Asuma a good evening.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey, team!_

_Here is a new chapter. It's a bit shorter than the other ones. The next part of the story is quite long so I decided to divide it up a little bit rather than having one massive 12K-words chapter._

_For my old readers, you'll notice that things will start to change a little from the old draft of Imagine. One thing that bothered me with it was the lack of character development. I decided that the new version of the story needed more depth. And I also felt like I wanted to give so much more regarding character dynamics and such. So yeah... You'll also notice things will get a bit darker, more mature._

_Hope you still like it._

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"- Call Otter for me, would you?

-Hai, Hokage-sama!"

A few minutes later, Otter, mask in place, was facing the Godaime Hokage.

"- Hokage-sama " he saluted.

-"Otter. Thank you for coming this fast. I heard you had something for me.

-I do. I needed a few days to confirm the matter and confront it with the Chief's other sources, but I can report now.

-I'm listening.

-Sound is moving.

-They've been playing dirty for the past few weeks.

-Indeed, but we have confirmation that they're preparing for something big. The sources reported that they're buying good quality weapons in various villages. It took us some time to see a pattern due to the geographical spreading of their purchases. They're also more discreet, they don't go around raiding small villages like they used to. And we already knew they recruited a lot of missing-nin from several villages.

-I see. Does Ibiki have anything?

-Not that I know of. The Den has been quite frustrated by that.

-Hm. Does the Chief know about that?

-He does. And I think he's working on that, too.

-How so?

-Well, knowing him, he's probably going to find someone for Ibiki to talk to."

Otter said matter-of-factly. His boss was... _dedicated_. And always willing to help other Konoha shinobis. He had left the day before and would probably return in a few days with a _gift _for Ibiki, the head of the Torture and Interrogation department, amicably nicknamed the _Den_ by the troops. Otter wasn't particularly surprised by the fact that Tsunade didn't know the Chief was gone: it was well-known that he had more freedom with the protocol than anyone else. Personally, Otter never understood how that was even possible. Konoha was built on martial law. Hierarchy was extremely important. Of course, the hierarchical structure of the hidden village was hard to understand, with several departments and branches, each with their own vertical structures. But at the end of the day, only very few shinobis were in positions of true power within the village. And anyway you looked at it, the Hokage was at the top.

Otter had been an ANBU for a few years now, happy to stay in the shadows, away from clan politics, however minor the clan. ANBU was easy. ANBU was black and white. They had standing orders to protect the Hokage and the village, in that order, and to execute missions thrown their way by the Hokage only. Easy. Otter was happy to let other people play around nuances of grey. Like Ibiki. Although, Otter doubted Ibiki saw it that way. The man was very much black and white in his approach to a lot of things.

Tsunade didn't seem surprised by the fact that one of her shinobis had left the village without her knowing and ordering it: the Chief was a special case. Otter fought a shiver. Deep down Otter thought that his boss was a scary son of a bitch. The guy was just and fair in his dealings with the ANBU under his command. He could be nice when he wanted to, but when he was in business mode, he could be downright terrifying. To be fair, he had never been voluntarily scaring his subordinates but he managed his networks with an iron hand and a no-nonsense attitude that one needed some time to get used to. Otter, like his colleagues, trusted his superior with his life without question and would follow him anywhere. It was no secret. One thing he didn't hide from his colleagues either – and they agreed with him – was that their Chief, as they had nicknamed him, was someone he would never _ever _dare to cross. He had seen the man get pissed at someone once and it had him rethink his assessment of one Morino Ibiki as a scary man.

"-Very well. Otter, you will tell Ibiki that I want to know everything he gets from whoever it is the Chief brings him as soon as the interrogation is over. You and your team, keep digging, I want to know exactly what Sound is preparing, although I have a pretty good idea. If all is cleared, you're dismissed.

-Hai, Tsunade-sama!" Otter bowed and left her office.

The blonde leader closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. Although it was no surprise, the news wasn't a good one. The timing sucked. _Damn_.

"-Shizune! Get me Shikaku!

-Hai!"

Ten minutes later, the head of the Nara clan stood before her.

"-Good afternoon, Shikaku.

-Good afternoon, Hokage-sama.

-Sit. How is everything going?

-Quite well. Three chuunins have been spotted but not by our guests so I would say so far so good. It might become trickier from next week onward. I have them hide for ten days to test their ability to infiltrate a village on a short-term basis, but after that, we'll have to arrange for something else.

-I know. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime I need you on another assignment. Your son is welcomed to help, as anyone you would see fit. Here is what you have to do..."

* * *

The BAU team had been there for almost a week and had spent dozens of hours thinking and focusing on the information they had been given. Derek was frustrated by the lack of useful or up-to-date data and was growing restless. Emily had made a few remarks about running in circles. Spencer had been studying each and every document a dozen times in the hope of finding something he wouldn't have seen earlier, however improbable. Even Aaron had to admit he was growing quite frustrated too. Jennifer, always the level-headed person, tried her hardest to keep everyone focused and calm, but even her patience was running thin at the lack of progress.

They had explored the village a bit more in the hope of understanding its inhabitants better – and also because they had grown tired of their small, windowless working room. Derek had suggested calling David in but the idea had been abandoned: one more person wouldn't change the fact that they didn't have enough to build a precise, in-depth profile. Aaron had taken the matter to Tsunade two more times but to no avail. They managed to build a profile alright, but it was probably outdated and they felt that it wouldn't be sufficient to help arrest Sasuke. Aaron sighed: Derek was right, they needed more information, and more accurate.

In the last few days they hadn't see much of anyone. They had come across Asuma once and they thought they passed by the guy who had interrupted their meal with Sakura on their first day – was his name Kida? Kiba? They hadn't seen the pink-haired girl. Each day, someone different would bring them tea and coffee with sandwiches or snacks.

"-Ok, guys, let's take a break. We're running in circles and we need fresh air."

Aaron was only answered by grunts of agreement as everyone moved to leave the room. As they made their way to the outside, Derek asked:

"-Hotch, you think we could find or ask for someplace to do sport? This thing is getting on my nerves and I need to _do _something. Surely they have some facilities we could use?

-Probably. I'll go ask Tsunade.

-Don't bother, I got this.

-You sure?

-Yeah. Just go outside, breathe, do something. I won't be long." He then turned to Emily. "You interested?

-Not right now, but I will definitely need to let off some steam later, yeah. Thanks, Morgan.

-Sure. See you later.

-I'll come with you!

-Of course, JJ." With that, they all left the building, Emily, Spencer and Aaron on their way, and Derek and Jennifer heading to Tsunade's office.

A few hours later Derek and Emily were sparring against one another in what looked like a dojo, while Jennifer was stretching on the side. Tsunade had agreed to let them use one of the dojo in a building not far away from the Academy. They had found a store where they bought sportswear (they had not brought any with them, expecting a regular deployment).

"-Man, that feels good!" said Emily as she stretched her legs after a short warm-up session.

"-I hear you." Answered Derek. "So, what shall we do?

-Basic hand combat?

-Let's blow some steam, baby."

Derek said, grinning as he shifted his body into a fighting stance. They had let the door of the room open to let fresh air in. Emily shifted to another position, also grinning. She was the first to move. Like always. Derek was never the one to initiate the sparring fight, which didn't mean he would go easy on her. He liked sparring with Emily. Of their team, she was the only one who liked training and sports as much as he did. Jennifer also loved a good workout, but she preferred having that as her own personal time, her moment to focus on nothing but herself. Derek knew Emily was working like him and needed this, needed the thrill of dancing with someone, to feel better when growing restless, as was the case for the past week.

Their movements were fluid, proof that this wasn't the first time they trained together. Almost each blow was blocked or deflected. Both managed to land a few blows on the other, however. They moved fluidly from one combat style to another. Emily's style was more fluid and graceful than Derek's as she used more Oriental combat techniques. Derek used more Western combat styles but the both of them knew how to adapt their fighting to work with the other.

"-Ouch!" breathed Derek as Emily landed a strong blow to his abdomen. "Mama, that hurt!" The grin on his face belying his fake whining tone.

"-Oh come on, Baby Boy! Don't go crying on me now." She answered, still grinning.

As they continued their spar, Jennifer finished her stretches and faced the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. As always, she started slow, easily and quickly working her way into a fast rain of punches and kicks. The sound of her bandage-covered fists and feet hitting the leather was a steady counterbalance to her teammates's flesh-on-flesh tempo.

The three BAU members were totally absorbed in their work-out, happy to finally let go of some pent up tension. They didn't notice the pairs of eyes on them. Kakashi and a masked man were standing in the doorway, observing the two. Tsunade had asked Owl to observe their sparring. Kakashi had come across the ANBU as he left Tsunade's office and decided to follow him and see for himself how they fought. Obviously they would be no match for him but he had to admit that he was surprised by what he saw. They were good. Their speed was nowhere near his own but that was to be expected from civilians. Even though, they would probably be a good match for a good chuunin or even a jounin not using chakra. Their technique was good, too. He could tell that they were using a combination of several styles and that they had mastered them to a very satisfying level. He didn't know the styles they were using, which was and wasn't a surprise. Both BAU agents were smiling as they exchanged blows. They weren't afraid to put quite some force in each one, knowing that it would be intercepted or that the other could take it.

"-Not bad" whispered Owl.

"-Indeed.

-Interesting, too.

-Hm.

-They're civilians, right?

-Hm.

-Not bad at all." As he finished his comment, a loud noise resounded in the room.

"-You got me, Mama!" Derek was flat on his back, locked in an immobilizing grip by Emily.

"-One point for the girl!" Her tone was light.

She let go of Derek, who laughed as he stood up and went to his bag to retrieve a bottle of water. Kakashi approached them, Owl nowhere to be seen. Jennifer seemed to notice him and joined the small group.

"-Not bad!

-Kakashi! Long time no see.

-I saw you found our public facilities.

-Yeah, Tsunade was kind enough to let us use it."

Emily answered. She was wearing a black, covering sport bra with black leggings. As she turned to go to her bag and take a bottle of water, Kakashi noticed an ugly scar on her lower back. When she turned back to them, he noticed a bigger, matching scar on her lower abdomen. Derek seemed to notice that Kakashi saw it but neither made a remark.

_That girl is strong if she survived such a wound_, Kakashi thought.

"-Maah, I was just passing in the building and heard you so I figured I could come and say hi. I didn't mean to interrupt.

-Not at all, we were finished when I wiped his ass." Emily joked, jerking her head in Derek's direction. "But I think I'll be continuing a bit longer. JJ?

-Sure!

-Ahah, very funny. I won't let you win next time.

-You keep telling yourself that." Emily threw over her shoulder as she and Jennifer walked back to the center of the tatamis.

-Next time?" Asked Kakashi.

"-Well yes. This case is not easy and we need to blow off some steam once in a while, you know? Plus we need to stay in shape.

-Hm." Kakashi reflected on that for a few seconds, directing his attention to the women stretching a little bit.

He noticed that Derek was already recovering from his own session, breathing slowing down and standing up to the side to do some light stretching. Kakashi was curious about the blond woman's fighting style. If her number on the punching bag was any indication, she was a very good fighter too. Derek chuckled as he notice the man's curiosity.

"-Wanna stay and watch?

-I think I would."

The dark man's grinned widened.

"-All right, ladies, play nice, you have a visitor.

-Now where's the fun in that?" Came Jennifer's reply, her tone playful but her voice low and raspy.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Derek laughed. Jennifer always got excited when fighting. Out of all of them, the petite woman was probably the best fighter. What she lacked in strength and size, she more than made up for in viciousness.

The spar started, fast and brutal. The fighting style was completely different from the previous exchange. Both women's faces were serious, their moves quick and precise. Emily was very good and was using more or less the same styles she had used against Derek. Kakashi focused on the petite blonde woman. She was vicious. Relentless. She gave nothing to her dark hair colleague. The pace of the fight picked up slightly. Emily fell into a more defensive position, Jennifer working herself into a steady rhythm of offense.

"-I yield!" Came Emily's steady voice, slightly short of breath.

Jennifer instantaneously stopped and smiled, also short of breath.

"-You all right?

-Yeah, but I can't take you when you get like that, not after him." The brunette said, pointing to Derek.

Kakashi noticed that Jennifer smiled, happy to relent, even if her tense muscles indicated to him that she was only getting started. He contemplated the trio in silence for a few moments.

"-Would you like to participate in a joined training session sometime?"

The three were a bit surprised at that.

"-You seem to know you stuff and you just said so: you need to train. I thought we could have a joined session: you and my team. It would be nice to have new guys around.

"-Hum. Ok, sure.

-Yeah, why not.

-Sounds interesting." Kakashi didn't miss the curious and challenging gleam in the blonde's bright blue eyes. He smiled.

"-I'll let you know where and when to meet, then. Well, see you around!

-See you." Derek and Emily answered at the same time, Jennifer waving at him, a satisfied smile on her face.

When Kakashi was out of the room, they exchanged a glance, Derek and Emily both surprised by the proposition. Jennifer was curious. She had been deployed several times while supposedly assigned to the Pentagon. She was more used than her colleagues to being surrounded by military, with the exception of Aaron and David, obviously. She actually really enjoyed working with the armed forces. They always had interesting tips and were not afraid to spar seriously. Derek and Emily loved to train together, but Jennifer loved to fight. She loved to feel the power coursing through her veins when she could just let go of her serious and charming persona, simply enjoying the moves of a dance that couldn't afford any falseness. She loved the thrill of fighting with military personnel. She was looking forward to the training session with Kakashi's team.

As Kakashi left the room Owl appeared beside him.

"-You were very talkative, sempai.

-Hn.

-... That didn't last long." At that, Kakashi sighed and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Owl sighed and disappeared too: he had a report to give.

* * *

Aaron was seated on a bench in the park. Derek and Emily had gone training and Spencer had headed back to the hotel to take a nap.

The weather was nice. Children were playing not far from him. He missed Jack. His boy had grown up faster than he anticipated. He had let him at his aunt's place. He wondered how he was doing. This case was hard to crack and the fact that he couldn't contact Jack made it even harder.

As he watched the children play, he saw one climb a tree. The group of 4 children was seemingly alone: no parent was there to watch over them. But Aaron wasn't too surprised at that. The town was very quiet and peaceful, and it wasn't the first time he had seen children playing alone in the park. The children now playing in the tree seemed to be 10 years old. The boy who had climbed first was now on a branch a few meters away from the ground.

Aaron suddenly stood up: the boy had slipped and was falling to the ground. As he moved to catch the boy, he realized that he wouldn't have the time to get there. To his surprise the boy landed perfectly fine on the ground, laughing with his playmates as they ran to another tree. Aaron sat back down on the bench, relieved. Something was unsettling about what he had just witnessed but he couldn't put his finger on it.

* * *

"-Thank you for coming in. Please sit down."

Tsunade sat down herself while the five FBI agents sat themselves on the other side of her desk.

"-I wanted to discuss the second part of your assignment here with us.

-The training.

-Yes. As I mentioned on your first day here, we need you to train some of our agents in spotting and preventing potential defection, as well as assessing recaptured defectors. I will let you decide how you want to put all that in place on your end. I have selected a few senior agents that I though would benefit from the training. A few others have also volunteered. You will be assigned a class room in the lower part of the building, which should be big enough to accommodate everyone.

-Any particular way you'd like us to go about it?

-Not necessarily. The people attending the training are all experienced soldiers, some with commanding positions. They already have a decent knowledge of basic psychology, to various degrees. They are all on duty for now so I think having big sessions rather than shorter but more regular ones might be easier for you to organize, as it would allow for a higher attending rate.

-What do you want us to cover?

-That is for you to decide. What I want is for my soldiers to be able to detect potential defectors, know how to deal with it in order to minimize risks of defection or for others, and how to asses and possibly rehabilitate personnel. Defection is not something we have to deal with often, but as you can imagine, the consequences when it does happen can be dramatic.

-All right."

Aaron looked around to his colleagues, who each had a very clear look in their eyes.

"-Ma'am, if I may?

-Yes?

-We won't be able to assist with that with the information we currently have on your organization. I understand that we do not have the clearance necessary to access any sensitive information. But currently, the lack of knowledge and understanding is only going to prevent us from giving relevant information to your agents."

Tsunade studied Aaron for a few seconds. She knew this had been coming. From the reports she got on them, these people were nothing if not thorough. She was not surprised they had understood that they were kept in the dark. And they were right: they were pretty much useless considering how little they were authorized to know. Personally she would have given them more information. After all, what good was it to have them here but to keep everything from them? The problem was that this was a first. Never before had they had any outsider look into the village in that way. There was no protocol to follow. And the main issue was obviously what to divulge. To what extend could she disclose information to them?

The Council was not happy with her choice to bring them in. They technically had not deciding powers over village matters, but they did raise good questions regarding the village safety. They also did take care of a lot of everyday tasks that made her life as head of the village much easier. Civilian affairs, mostly, but not only. Running a shinobi village was more than that. It was sharing resources and responsibilities. The Council took care of that, allowing her to focus on the most important aspect of her job: maintaining the military standards and raising them. Resources, research, budget, technology, information… Konoha's shinobi forces were large, and the logistics to keep it running were a challenge. It was a well-oiled machine, but a machine that had a lot of small pieces that needed constant attention.

Tsunade took her decision.

"-Shizune!

-Yes!

-Send for Shikamaru.

-Hai!"

Turning her attention back to the team sitting in front of her, she answered Aaron's question.

"-I understand your position. I know it's far from ideal. But I can't give you full disclosure. That being said, you do need more information about us.

-Hokage-sama."

A young man in his early twenties walked in. He had wild black hair held up in a high poney tail, and wore the same uniform as Kakashi.

"-Nara, that was fast.

-I was on my way to you.

-All right. Please meet our guests. Agents, this is Nara Shikamaru." The young man nodded at them. "Shikamaru is one of the agents attending your training. He will also be the liaison with the rest of the attendees. He will show you to the classroom and explain to you the basic workings of our organization."

As she said that, she eyed the jounin seriously. Shikamaru didn't miss the hint. They had discussed such a situation after the BAU team's arrival. He knew what he could and could disclose. Not that she was worried. Shikamaru was an excellent shinobi, well versed in intelligence and counter-intelligence. She trusted him entirely.

"-If this is all right with you, I took the liberty of organizing the first session tomorrow night. Up to you the decision to make that a training session or simply a meet-and-greet.

-That works for us.

-If all is in order, then, I'll let you in Shikamaru's hands."

The young soldier bowed politely while the BAU agents thanked the Hokage and bade her goodbye. In the hallway, they introduced themselves to Shikamaru, who turned out to be a very laid-back person. On their way down the stairs, they bumped into Kakashi, who informed them that if they were still interested, the joined training session would take place at their earliest convenience on training ground 23.

"-Would now be ok for you?" Emily asked. "It's not like we have anything to do right now, right?"

She asked Shikamaru, who only shrugged.

"-Maa, in that case, I'll go grab the others and meet you there."

The tall man just turned around and left them. Shikamaru sighed.

_Guess I'll be showing them around, then._

In truth, the young Nara was quite curious and not a little bit surprised. It was the first time he'd met the international agents, but not the first he'd heard of them. He'd heard some reports about them, hinting at a good team. But he had no idea they were planning to have a sparring session with Kakashi's squad. That promised to be interesting to say the least.


	4. Chapter 4

_warning: chapter** RATED M** just in case (honestly, more like T+ really)_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_In truth, the young Nara was quite curious and not a little bit surprised. It was the first time he'd met the international agents, but not the first he'd heard of them. He'd heard some reports about them, hinting at a good team. But he had no idea they were planning to have a sparring session with Kakashi's squad. That promised to be interesting to say the least._

And so it was that half an hour later, the BAU team was walking out of their hotel with Shikamaru, Derek, Jennifer and Emily dressed for training, with their bag at their feet, and Aaron and Spencer waiting with them, wanting to watch the spar. As they started walking, they were stopped by a voice. A young man came to them. It was Kiba, who they had seen only once. He was accompanied by a huge dog.

"-Hey ya!

-Good afternoon.

-You ready?

-You're coming?

-Yeah, Sakura told me about it.

-Let's go." They headed to the training grounds. The trip there would take about 15 minutes. The dog directly went to Derek, who asked permission to pat him.

"-Sure! He seems to like you.

-I like dogs.

-Looks like it. His name's Akamaru. I'm Kiba, by the way.

-I'm Derek Morgan. These are Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau, Aaron Hotchner and Dr Spencer Reid.

-Doctor, huh? Well, nice to meet you officially.

-Likewise.

-So, you're gonna fight with Kakashi-sensei and Sakura, huh? Can't wait to see that!

-I thought the whole team would be there.

-Yeah they were supposed to, but Sai and Naruto received a mission.

-You're gonna watch?

-Of course! A lot of us will. It's not every day that Sharingan no Kakashi allows people in his training!

-Sharingan no Kakashi? I thought it was Hatake Kakashi.

-Well, yeah. Sharingan is his nickname.

-What's Sharingan?

-Ah. I can't tell you that. Which training ground is it again? I wasn't paying attention.

-23.

-Oh right, Hokage-sama had it cleared yesterday."

At that the four members of the BAU team exchanged a curious look. Spencer remained silent during the conversation.

"-Here we go!"

Kiba exclaimed a few minutes later as they indeed arrived at an open gate. On it was a large "23" under which was a notice reading _Clear – Booked_. Kiba and Shikamaru lead them through the gate. The training ground was apparently a grassy clearing, delimited by high fences. They could see a group of people standing near the fence. As they neared, they saw that it was Kakashi, Sakura, Asuma and one more person they didn't know.

"-Good afternoon." Greeted Aaron.

"-Ah ! Good afternoon, how are you? "asked Sakura.

"-Yo!" saluted Kakashi.

"-What's up?" said Asuma.

"-We're fine, thanks, what about you all?

-Good, good." Answered Asuma. Sakura was the next to speak.

"-So, you apparently already know Asuma-sensei. This is Shiranui Genma" she said pointing to a brown- haired guy with a deep blue bandana and a skewer in his mouth. "They're here to watch."

Shikamaru sighed and sat down on the ground, lighting up a cigarette. Genma, Asuma and Shikamaru were all wearing the same uniform. Kiba's jacket was black instead of green but otherwise it was the same. Kakashi was wearing large black pants and a tight black shirt which also covered the lower half of his face. Sakura was wearing a pink sleeveless shirt with black shorts under a short white skirt.

"-You ready?" Kakashi asked to the three agents who would be fighting.

"-Ready whenever you are.

-Ok. So I propose simple rotating one-on-one? We're one person short for a team one, unless… Gen, you in?"

Genma seemed to consider it for a moment.

"-Hm. I guess.

-All right. Then should we start with you three against us, then move on to one-on-one?

-Actually," Jennifer interrupted, "I think I'll pass on the group brawl. I'd like to watch it, if that's all good?

-Ok.

-Sounds good.

-Man, this is so exciting!" said Kiba. "Don't underestimate Sakura, she's got a mean right!"

At that, Spencer reacted, surprisingly.

"-Really? But she's so small.

-Oh, Pinky's small alright." Answered Genma as sat back down. "But she packs one hell of a punch."

Asuma smirked and Kiba growled, apparently having been on the receiving end of said punch before, which made Asuma laugh.

"-Not funny.

-Oh yeah, it is.

-You've obviously never been her punching bag, Asuma-sensei.

-Nope, and I plan to keep it that way." The tall man answered, lighting up a cigarette.

"-How old is she?" Asked Spencer.

"-24, like me and Shikamaru.

"-That's young" noted Aaron.

"-Not really...

-They're about to start." Interrupted Shikamaru, making the spectators focus on the group of fighters.

"-Ready? Let's begin!"

At first, the blows were testing. Then they became more focused, stronger and faster. Emily and Derek worked very well together, but Kakashi's and Sakura's defenses were flawless. After a few minutes, Derek and Emily took a few steps back, still facing their opponents. They exchanged a glance and then resumed fighting. They changed their style. After five minutes, Derek feinted, which allowed Emily to get past Sakura's defense and landed a blow to her abdomen. The young woman rolled on herself and got back to her feet a few feet away from Emily. Both women were grinning. Genma whistled.

"-Phew! Nice one!

-Nice teamwork!

-You ok?" Emily asked Sakura.

"-I'm fine, don't worry. I've had far worse. Let's continue."

As the spar resumed, the shinobis of Konoha were surprised at how well Derek and Emily managed against Kakashi and Sakura. The BAU members were also surprised by Kakashi and Sakura. They could tell that they had been working together for a long time: their dynamic was perfect and flawless. They had a great mastery of several Oriental_ish _fighting styles. Emily was ecstatic to spar with someone as skilled in martial arts. Derek was a good fighter but his style was totally different. This, in turn, helped them score a few points as Kakashi and Sakura didn't seem to be familiar with his fighting style.

The spar went on, blows were exchanged, accompanied by exclamations and comments from the spectators. Half an hour later, the fighters took a break to drink, all but Kakashi smiling broadly.

"-Shall we?" Jennifer asked, turning to Genma. She'd been stretching while watching the others.

"-It would be my pleasure."

Genma rose to his feet gracefully. They walked towards the center of the clearing.

"-All right, Blondie, whenever you're ready."

Genma had barely finished his sentence that Jennifer lashed out at him with a punch. He dodged on the side and retaliated with one of his own. They fell into an explosive exchange of quick kicks and punches. Genma was having fun. He had to focus.

Asuma whistled.

"-She's feisty!"

As if to confirm it, Jennifer landed a blow that had Genma's ears ring. He grinned. And got more serious in his attacks, bringing a similar grin on Jennifer's lips.

"-That's JJ for you," said Emily.

Kakashi observed the fight intently. He had been right: she'd been holding back against her friends. She was still being careful now, but he could tell the blond woman was not pulling her punches. She blocked Genma's blows efficiently, turning the force behind them against him. For every blow that passed her defense, she gave two back, not giving an inch of her space to the Konohan man. Yes, she was feisty, that one. He could only imagine what she'd be like as a ninja. Fearsome. The thought reminded him vaguely of Naruto.

"-Aah!"

Jennifer's almost raw yell of effort resounded in the clearing as she wrestled her body on the ground, locked in a stalemate position with Genma. Asuma's booming laugh seemed to be the signal to the end of the spar, and both fighters relaxed and stood up, shaking hands with a broad smile on their faces.

As they walked back towards the rest of the group, Genma groaned: he just knew he was never going to live this down. Asuma's amused snort confirmed this: they would never gonna let him forget that he had been brought to a stalemate by a civilian. He hadn't been using any chakra, of course, or any lethal technique – which was his main style – but still. The stalemate hurt his pride a little. When Jennifer's satisfied laugh resonated in the clearing, his frustration melted away, replaced by a growing sense of respect for the petite woman. Unknown to her, the rest of the shinobis present entirely agreed with him: all three were impressive.

After a few minutes Kakashi, Sakura, Emily and Derek resumed their spar but changed the teams: men versus women. Jennifer and Genma declined joining them, both happy to relax and enjoy the show.

Jennifer was very happy. Fighting against Genma was great! He had pushed her to a level she hadn't been able to unleash in a while. It felt amazing to just let go and fight for the sake of fighting. He had been able to take everything she had dissed at him, giving back just as much. She had missed this! As much as she loved her team, there was just something about fighting with that level of intensity that was just exhilarating.

In the clearing, the fight was a bit messier as each team needed to find a new balance but eventually it went more fluidly. Sakura and Emily were having a great time and worked really well together. Kakashi and Derek also worked well together but not as much: their styles weren't as complementary as the girls'. After fifteen minutes, teams changed once more with Kakashi and Emily up against the other two. There again a few minutes were needed before finding the good rhythm. The fight was also very interesting and the teams seemed to work better than the previous round. Slowly the four fell back on their original formation.

"-They're holding back." Spencer whispered. Genma, Asuma, Kiba and Shikamaru looked at him, surprised.

"-Reid?" asked Aaron.

"-Kakashi and Sakura. They're holding back.

-How can you tell?

-It's subtle. Their muscles are strained and they make small reflexive movements once in a while that they stop."

The four Konoha shinobis stared for a few seconds and then exchanged a furtive glance. Kakashi and Sakura were indeed holding back. Of course they were. But they were surprised that Spencer had caught up on it.

"-You're observant." Noted Asuma.

"-I have an eidetic memory so I can see their moves even if it doesn't register right away."

_That _had Shikamaru staring at him with a calculating glint in his eyes.

Kakashi, Sakura, Emily and Derek were still fighting. Kiba tensed and turned his head to the entrance of the training ground. The others did the same. A tall, masked figure was walking toward them. The figure – for neither Spencer nor Aaron could tell if it was a man or a woman – was wearing black pants and a white piece of... was that armor? He/she also had pieces of white metal on his/her arms up to the elbow. As the figure got closer, they could see it was a man wearing a stylized heron porcelain mask. Genma, Kiba, Shikamaru and Asuma tensed, all standing up on their guards.

"-What is it?" Asuma asked darkly. The figure didn't answer. He turned and walked to the fighters, still exchanging blows. When he was close, the fight stopped. The masked man got down on one knee, opposing fist on the ground, head down in front of Sakura, who tensed. The man then rose his other hand to her, presenting her with something.

"-Troublesome.  
-Not good." Whispered Kiba as Akamaru whimpered.

Sakura paled and raised a trembling hand to take what was presented to her. It seemed to be a black ribbon with a metal slab on it.

"-Asuma." Came the suddenly stern voice of Kakashi, crisp as the crack of a whip.

"-Got them." Asuma then walked up to Emily and Derek. "Come."

The three of them walked back to the other visitors, still watching Sakura. The faces of Genma, Shikamaru – who was putting out his cigarette – and Kiba were stern.

Sakura's head was down.

"-Who?"

The sound was barely audible. The masked man, still on the ground, answered.

"-Sound."

Her fist clenched on the ribbon.

"-Thank you."

The man rose to his feet and walked back out of the training ground.

"-Man, that sucks." Kiba's voice was strained, echoing his dog's whine.

The BAU team didn't understand what was happening but had an idea so they didn't dare to speak. Kakashi slowly walked to Sakura, her head still down. He slowly took her hand in his and took the ribbon from her. He threw it to Kiba, who caught it deftly.

"-Oh man." His voice was weak.

"-Who?" asked Shikamaru.

"-Ren.

-Oh. Troublesome.

-Poor Pinky.

-Excuse me but who is Ren?" asked Emily, not liking where this was going.

"-Ren _was _Sakura's boyfriend.

-Man, that sucks! And just after Hiro!

-Will she be ok?"

No one answered Derek. After a few second, the three soldiers around them shifted, facing the duo still in the clearing. Asuma's voice rose, dark and serious.

"-What you're about to witness you will not comprehend. You shouldn't _be_ here to witness it but we are not leaving so you're not either. Whatever happens, stay where you are. Do _not_ intervene. And follow our orders, no questions asked.

-What's going to happen?

-Pinky is going to let it out. And we're staying to help them if they need it. But you do not intervene, am I clear?"

Asuma's voice was dead serious and commanding. Seeing the four men around them standing at attention, their eyes on Kakashi and Sakura, the BAU team was lost as to what was going to happen.

"-Am I clear?" Asuma repeated.

"-Yes." Answered Aaron, sternly. He looked at his teammates to make them understand that they were to obey the bearded man. Then all five of them looked at Kakashi and Sakura.

Kakashi had heard Asuma warn the BAU. He was still next to Sakura, who still had her head down, her hand in his. The hand from which he had taken the headband was trembling. Slowly she stopped trembling and closed her hand in a fist. Kakashi tensed and jumped back a few steps, fluidly dropping into a defensive stance. Sakura raised her head and launched at Kakashi, fist prepared.

The BAU members' eyes widened. One moment Sakura was standing with her head down, the other she was next to Kakashi, her left fist on the ground. A fraction of a second later the ground _exploded_ into rubble.

She twisted her body to punch Kakashi, who was now behind her. He managed to dodge. For the next few minutes, Kakashi dodged punches and rocks as Sakura came at him again and again, sometimes landing a strong blow.

They were moving too fast for the BAU to see them clearly. They didn't understand what was really happening. How was such a thing possible? How could someone move so fast? How could a girl make to ground explode with her bare fists? How could one take such blows without being knocked out?

"-Sakura..."

Kakashi tried to calm her down, still on the defensive. But the pink-haired young woman kept coming at him viciously, growling.

The BAU managed to see that she had a purple diamond on her forehead which had not been there previously.

"-This is not good." Noted Kiba.

"-What the hell?!"

Emily and Derek had finally snapped out of their shock and were now watching the Konoha men and vocally expressing their surprise.

"-We will accompany you to Tsunade's office when this is all over, but no question now.

-No question now? What the hell is happening? Like hell I'm gonna wait until this is over! What is _this _anyway, huh?

-Derek, enough.

-Hotch! You can't expect me to shut up about this!

-I can. Now is clearly not the time."

Derek's outburst had distracted Kakashi, who took Sakura's right hook to the jaw and came tumbling down next to the observing group.

"-Ouch!" Commented Genma. "That's gotta _hurt_. Sucks to be you, man!"

"-Shut it." Kakashi's voice was like the clash of a whip, dry and hissed trough clenched jaws. "All right, that's it."

Kiba and Genma repressed a shiver, their instincts reacting to the man's raspy growl.

He launched himself back at Sakura, fist ready to punch. She dodged but was swiped by his leg as he continued his movement. She somersaulted back and regained her footing before attacking him again. This time, Kakashi was attacking back. The blows and movements were fast. Punches and kicks were thrown with force. The ground was exploding here and there. At one point the _clink _of metal hitting metal could be heard.

The BAU, unlike the Konoha shinobi at their side, couldn't follow the movements. They only saw glimpses of movement right, left and center, and saw the ground erupt wherever movement happened. They could hear the metallic noise of weapons clashing. The four men and the dog beside them were standing at attention, watching the fight and following the movements with attentive and appreciative eyes.

Genma and Asuma were used to seeing Kakashi fight – as much as one could get used to seeing the prowesses the man was capable of. Shikamaru had no opinion, or rather, kept it to himself. But Kiba was quite vocal.

"-Man, it sucks balls for Sakura, don't get me wrong, but _boy_, this is something to witness. Sharingan no Hatake Kakashi with Kagayaku Ken no Haruno Sakura." He whistled. "This team is in a league all by themselves!"

His voice was shaking with barely repressed adrenaline, his animalistic instinct vibrating with the closeness of the fight, the excitation of it. It wasn't every day that Konoha shinobi got to see what he was seeing. Shinobis were a secretive bunch, Kakashi's team more than others. They very rarely let others see what they were truly capable of. Kiba knew that what he what witnessing now was nowhere near their limit, but the sheer rawness of the fight had his blood singing.

-Kagayaku Ken?" asked Aaron.

It was Spencer who answered, to the surprise of the Konoha men.

"-Sakura Haruno of the Glowing Fist. Why glowing fist?

-Observe her closely." Was the enigmatic answer of Asuma.

The BAU members focused on her as she and Kakashi weren't moving so fast for the moment. To their astonishment, they could see that her fists glowed in a light green halo. Her right hand was holding a dagger-like weapon. Both she and Kakashi had cuts and bruises. They were bleeding in several places but didn't seem to notice it. Sakura punched the ground, dislodging a large boulder. She kicked it in Kakashi's direction. He kicked it out of the way but unfortunately the huge piece of rock was coming straight at the spectators.

In swift movements, Genma's hand went through seals. He pressed them against the ground, from which a wall grew. The boulder came crashing on the wall of earth.

"-Watch it!" He yelled at Kakashi.

When the wall retracted into the ground – by which time the BAU were persuaded to be hallucinating – they all could see that Sakura and Kakashi were running toward one another, both ready to strike. Sakura was still holding her weapon in her right hand. As she moved to strike Kakashi with it he blocked her with his left hand, firmly holding her wrist. She used her momentum and moved her body to attack the silver-haired man with her left fist, glowing green. Her face was distorted in an angry grimace. The sound of birds chirping could be heard as Kakashi prepared to strike her with his left hand, his right still holding her arm. His left hand was surrounded by a white, thunderbolt-like both their fists collided, the white light and the green glow mixed in a big thunderbolt, sending lightning all around them. When the light vanished, all could see that Kakashi was holding Sakura's hand. The pink-haired girl struggled for a few seconds but seemed subdued. Kakashi didn't let go.

"-Sakura..." His voice was gentle.

"-No!

-Sakura" His voice was deep and slow, and soothing.

"-No! No! No.

-Hush now, Sakura."

She kept saying "no" but each time was less vehement, less angry. Her struggle ceased and she slowly crumbled to the ground. Kakashi didn't let go. He knelt with her. A _clink _could be heard as she let go of her weapon.

"-No, no, no, no." Her voice was now barely audible.

Kakashi didn't let go. He slowly released her wrists but didn't let go of her. He wrapped his arms around her as she burst into tears, sobs shaking her body, her hands coming to his side, fists clenched in the fabric of his shirt.

Akamaru whimpered. Kakashi discreetly signed to Asuma, still holding Sakura. Kiba left Ren's headband on the ground, where he knew Kakashi or Sakura would find it.

"-All right, let's give'em some peace."

The spectators and Akamaru slowly left the training ground, accompanied by the sounds of Sakura crying. This was too intimate, they had no right to see it.

Kakashi felt the group moving away, leaving them alone in the clearing. The petite form of Sakura was shaking with the wracking sobs tearing away at her throat. Kakashi's chest hurt. She had landed a few solid blows. But his heart was the cause of the pain now, tightening for his teammate. He tightened his arms around her and closed his eyes, resting his chin on her head as her tears soaked his shirt trough.

He didn't tell her to breathe. He didn't tell her it would be ok. He didn't tell her it was unfair. He didn't tell her anything. Nothing he could say would be ok. So he said nothing and held her. Just simply held her as the sun continued its course in the sky. Slowly, the sobs quietened but the shaking remained.

"-Take me home."

Kakashi's heart clenched again at how broken Sakura sounded.

"-You sure?"

She nodded, her face still against his chest.

"-Ok."

Kakashi, not moving from his position, held up his hand and carefully crafted a thread of chakra, sending it out until it touched the headband on the ground by the entrance of the clearing, pulling it towards him. His fist closed around the object and they vanished in a twirl of leaves.

They reappeared within Sakura's apartment, her security seals set to allow them in. Kakashi's back was against her front door, Sakura still secure in his arms but slowly able to stand up on her own.

When she felt her own place surrounding her, the tension left her shoulders and she took a deep breath. Her legs stopped shaking but she didn't let go of Kakashi's shirt.

He didn't let go of her. He knew how deeply this affected her. As much as he was confident she would pull herself together quickly – she had become a strong kunoichi – he allowed her to grieve. They were in a safe place, there was no point hiding her sadness.

Sakura took another deep breath, breathing his scent in as she slowly raised her head to his neck.

"-Kakashi."

Her tone was subdued, stuck between a keen, a whimper, a demand and a few other things he was sure she was not aware of.

"-I'm here, Sakura."

She let go of his shirt only for her arms to slide around his torso and cling onto his back in a reciprocated hug.

They stayed in that position for a long time, unwilling to move away from the comfort the other brought.

Sakura was mourning, safe in the strong arms that were as much part of her life as breathing. The hole in her chest pounded, still raw from the suddenness of the loss.

The day came to an end with the sun slowly making way for the night. The apartment was silent, suspended in the dark light that precedes evening, not quite illuminated by the sun, not yet touched by the obscurity that would blanket the world to let today rest.

Kakashi felt Sakura shiver. He slowly unwound his arms from around her, lightly holding her upper arms in his callous hands, thumbs absently soothing her skin. He gently pulled her away from his chest, not letting go of her but trying to read her face. His hands gently cupped her head. He could feel the drying tracks of the tears that had stopped falling a while ago. He wiped them away with his thumbs, not forcing her to lift her head from her lower position, her eyes level with his chest but unseeing, lost in memories.

"-Do you need anything?"

He kept his voice low, gentle. He knew the question was a stupid one. People always asked it. But Sakura would understand that his question was not empty. That was his team. They knew each other to the point where they were an extension of each other. He knew Sakura, knew that she wouldn't want to be alone. Not here, in this apartment where she had been building a life with Ren.

So many things were in Kakashi's question. Whatever she would need – water, alcohol, food, solitude, company, staying here or going out, anything – he would provide.

Sakura slowly raised her head, her eyes focusing on his face. Her hands came up to mirror his own, cupping his cheeks. Her eyes looked into his uncovered one. Her left hand slowly crept up to his hair, running trough it.

"-You."

Her voice had been low, barely a murmur.

Kakashi studied her for a moment.

"-Are you sure?"

She said nothing. Her right hand slid up his cheeks, her thumb hooking under his slanted hitai-ate, pulling it away from his head and letting it fall on the floor with a dull _thud_. Her thumb came back down, caressing his scar and the under side of his eye. Her face was an unreadable mask of determination hiding a storm.

"-Please."

Despite the word, she was not pleading, her tone settled.

Kakashi inhaled deeply once, then released his breath just as slowly. Her gaze did not waver as three tomoe started to spin sluggishly, making her skin tingle and her head lighter, taking away the pain that always follows cries.

Sakura slowly leaned over, pressing her lips against the soft lips that were always telling her how much he loved her. The kiss was chaste and slow, barely a touch. Sakura pulled away, her hand in his dark brown hair pulling his face towards her, making him rest his forehead on her. His eyes searched hers, a question swimming in the deep forest green she loves to lose herself in. She answers the silent question with a finger on his lips, followed by her own.

This must be enough for him. He kisses her, slowly deepening the contact. His hands, covered with a few scars she knows just as well as her own, caress her body, slowly, lovingly. They walk trough the darkening hallway, never parting, following a path they've taken dozens of times, and stumble on their beds, his smell all around her.

He worships her body, knowing every moan, every dip, every shiver. She kisses every inch in his tanned skin, caresses every scar. Their lovemaking is slow and powerful and deep and so so intimate she could cry as his strong arms circle her, caging her in a world of love and protection. He smiles at her, completely unashamed of the love that illuminates his features, that drowns her when she looks into his eyes. Those beautiful eyes, the green of rich leaves, speckled with the gold on the sun peaking through the branches. His smiles that crooked smile of his, the one that comes with a dimple she hadn't know he had until she responded to his half asleep declaration one night, the first time he told her the words she had been scared of never hearing.

She can feel she's getting close now. Her eyes flutter with the waves of heat steadily building. She snaps them open, unwilling to let go of his gaze. He shifts his weight slightly, still moving, and brings one hand to her face, holding her like she's the most precious thing in the world. He is close too, his arm shaking with the effort to hold himself on top of her. He bends his elbow, resting his forehead on hers, eyes unwavering, smile only interrupted to plant light kisses on her lips. She lifts her hands and cups his face.

"-I love you."

He smiles and his lips form the same words, silent before he struggles to keep his own eyes open. She smiles at him, cradles his face and pulls him towards her neck. She waves her chakra and grips onto the silver hair as her pleasure crashes onto her, mirrored by the strong pale body that protects her from the world.

If her loud moan is broken by a sob, he says nothing.

He stays there for a while, unmoving in her arms except for the shaking that ripples through his body, echoes of his orgasm. He cradles her, precious, fragile and so strong at the same time.

She tightens her embrace for a second, then lets him go. He starts to move from over her and rolls to his back, bringing her to his side, still wrapped in his warmth. Her head snuggles to his chest. His arms circle her, keeping her away from the world a little longer.

He can feel her breathing slowing down and knows she's finally relinquishing herself to sleep.

"-Thank you."

He doesn't answer anything as he feels the moisture of silent tears slide on his skin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The BAU team walked away from the clearing, bodies shaking, still under shock, and hearts tightening with the sobs they could still hear in the background.

"-Is she going to be ok?" Spencer's voice was low, laced with genuine worry, and maybe a shaking undertone that no one could blame him for.

"-She's strong.

-She seems to have taken it pretty hard." Noted Emily.

"-It is a hard blow. Ren was a sweet guy. He was good at his job. It's a nasty surprise." Genma explained. "But she'll manage. Besides, Kakashi's with her.

-Will that really help?" Jennifer's tone was worried.

There were a few minutes of hesitant silence before Shikamaru spoke, surprising the BAU team, as he had stayed silent all along.

"-Sakura's a strong woman. She may not look like it but she has lived through some hard things. We all have. She came out of everything ok. This will be hard for her. Ren was very important to her. But sadly, this is not the hardest she's ever had to take. As long as she has her team, she'll be fine. She's one of the strongest people I know, both physically and mentally. Plus, like Genma pointed out, Kakashi's with her. He already helped her get to the point of crying, which is no small feat. She will be fine.

-I know you don't understand what happened," said Asuma, "and it's normal. We're heading to Tsunade-sama's office and she will talk you through this. But you have to know that this... this _village_... we... we don't function like you. Our teams are everything to us – don't interrupt me, please, you will understand. I know and I understand that your team is important for you and I don't deny it. But here, you might have gathered that we are placed in teams early. Usually after graduation. We _grow up_ with our team. One's team usually becomes one's family. The bonds created in a team are deep and strong in most cases. So as long as one has one's teammates, it should be ok. But you have to understand that Team 7... How to explain? Team 7's dynamic is different. They had to go through something difficult.

-We are aware of what happened.

-Really? Hum. Then you should understand that the loss of Ren, however tragic, was not the worst thing that Sakura had to go through.

-Sasuke.

-Yeah. The loss of Sasuke shook them. It hurt them _deep_. The loss of a teammate is something terrible. I should know, I lost one last year." At that, Shikamaru shot Asuma a dark glare, which didn't go unnoticed.

"-You were a team." It wasn't a question.

"-Still are. But Shika and I, we lost our teammate. Since then, we haven't done a lot as a team. The last member of our squad took it hard too. Kakashi's team... When Sasuke left, instead of drifting apart like it sometimes happens, they grew closer. They became more than a family. They became something that is not often seen. Even now, after years of working with Kakashi and sometimes with the others too, I still don't fully understand their bond. Hell, I've known Kakashi longer than he's known them and I still don't understand them. This is highly personal but understand that what Sakura had with Ren, however serious, is nothing compared to what she has with Kakashi and Naruto.

-And Sai?

-Sai too. Team 7 is special on a lot of levels. I am sad for my teammate and I am sad that my team is not working together as much as before. But we manage. We're still a team and a family no matter what and I wouldn't want it any other way except for Choji being here with us. I love my team and I am lucky that we haven't drifted apart. But I'm going to be honest with you: Team 7 scares me.

-Why?"

It was Kiba who answered Spencer's question.

"-Because they will die." His tone was dark, thoughtful. "I have a great team and I would do anything for them, even die for them. For Hinata, for Shino, for Akamaru and for Kurenai-sensei. I would die to protect them. But Team 7, I don't know. There's something beautiful in watching them. They're magnificent. Watching them together is... There's no word for it. When they fight, all four of them together, it gives me goosebumps. But there is just something. I would die for my team. They _live _for their team.

-What do you mean? How is this a bad thing?

-It's not necessarily a bad thing but it's like a storm, a hurricane. They live for one another. As long as they have each other, they can take on everything. The world can throw anything at them and they will face it head on." At this, Kiba shivered. "But they will _die_ as a team. They wouldn't be able to go on without one of its members.

-But Sasuke's gone.

-Gone, but not dead. The day one of Team 7 dies is the day we lose all of them. And that's a scary thought."

The atmosphere, as they walked in the street, was gloomy.

"-They will go with one hell of a bang, though."

Genma noted in an effort to lift the atmosphere. It had the desired effect as Shikamaru snorted, Asuma chuckled and Kiba laughed. Even Akamaru barked his agreement.

"-Yeah, that will be something to behold.

-From _afar_.

-Ahah, yeah, from afar!"

After a few minutes of total silence (light for the Konoha men, thoughtful for the BAU), Genma asked:

"-Do you need me?

-Nah, 'm good." Answered Asuma. "You can all go, I'll go with'em."

In yet another instance of his fast-changing mood. It was interesting to witness the change in his speech pattern depending on his mood.

"-Well then, see you guys around!

-See ya!"

Both Genma and Kiba waved them goodbye as they took another road, Akamaru following them before the men went each on their own way.

"-See you later, sensei. I'll be at Ino's.

-'K." Shikamaru also left them.

"-All right, we'll get to the Hokage Tower in 5 minutes."

When they reached the tower, the FBI agents were still silent. They were all somewhat aware that they were in shock, their minds not quite able to grasp what had just happened.

"-All right. Wait here while I explain the situation."

Asuma knocked on the door and entered after a strong "Come in!" He closed the door behind him, letting the BAU team in the waiting room adjacent to the Hokage's office. Usually Derek would have made a remark and demanded explanations but not this time. This time, the members of the BAU were too lost to say anything, Derek included. On the other side of the door Asuma was facing Tsunade.

"-What is it?

-We have a problem.

-When do we not…?

-It has to do with our guests.

-Of course. Let me guess, something happened during the training session? Was there a trap left?

-No, the field was cleaned perfectly. Something did happen when the session was almost over, though.

-Explain.

-I guess you're already aware that Hagano Ren is dead…

-I received the news this morning. I'll tell Sakura later today.

-That... won't be necessary."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly and she swore under her breath.

"-I think I know what happened then. But still, explain everything. From the start.

-Well, I arrived there with Kakashi. Sakura arrived a few minutes later, followed by Genma. Everything was fine. We did a quick swoop of the field, just to be on the safe side. We waited for Shika to bring them, Kiba was with them too. Apparently he wanted to tag along which he did apparently without offending any of them, I will add. The five of them were there but only the women and Derek Morgan participated in the spar. Everything went smoothly. They're actually quite good. They managed to land a few blows and did not take too many of them either. Interesting fighting styles. Morgan's more of a brawler but he is actually really good and doesn't waste opportunities and energy. Prentiss' style is closer to our fighting style. She knows several martial arts similar to what we know. Blondie is really good too, she's got quite a mean streak actually. Would be great if she was one of us.

They have good teamwork but I think they're the best fighters of their team. After some time the teams changed. The girls teamed up against the men. Then Kakashi teamed up with Prentiss. I could give you a more detailed assessment of their skills but I think Kakashi is more suited than me for that. After a while they went back to the original formation. That's when shit hit the fan. Heron came and salute-presented Ren's headband to Sakura."

Tsunade's brows furrowed.

"-Kakashi had me retrieve them. He stayed with Sakura. We decided not to leave in order to help him if she took it too far. And, well, we all know how trigger happy we can be when upset. I didn't want to risk them moving too much, just in case.

-So they saw everything?

-Yeah.

-How bad was it?

-Not as bad as I thought it would be, if I'm being honest. Had I known I would have evacuated them but Inuzuka said something about another kid. It sounded bad so we didn't know how she would react.

-Sound got Sakura's neighbor a few days ago.

-Ah, yeah, sounds about right."

Tsunade then stayed silent for a few minutes.

"-Sorry for the mess, Hokage-sama."

Asuma apologized, in a rare instance of genuine respect.

"-Well, it's done now. So we'll be running damage control. How far did it go?

-As I said, I thought it was gonna be worse. She dropped the genjutsu hiding her seal. They moved fast. She messed up the field pretty bad. Landed a nasty hook on Kakashi's jaw. It's probably be broken, by the way. She used her glowing fist and a kunai. Kakashi had to fight back to contain her. Genma had to use an earth wall to block a boulder, so there's that too. And Kakashi had to use his Chidori to block her fist... That's about it.

-_That's about it_? That's all you have to say, Sarutobi?" Her tone was angry.

"-Well...

-Don't "well" me! This is bigger than I thought! We could have had a Yamanaka erasing a few minutes if it had just been a slip-up, but this..." She sighed. "Well, time to face the music. Let them in."

Before moving to the door, Asuma asked, serious:

"-Are you mad at her?

-No. I'm sad for her. He was good for her."

The Hokage replied in a low and calm voice. Asuma moved to the door. Before opening it he slipped one last remark.

"-Oh ! And the kid saw they were holding back. Eidetic memory. Just so you know."

He finished with a note of humor. He then opened the door and signaled for the BAU to come in.

"-Out!" Tsunade yelled angrily at him. "And don't think you and your pals are off the hook!"

Asuma's shoulders sagged as he closed the door behind him. Well, that could have gone worse. At least she hadn't punched anything. Yet. Asuma wisely hurried up outside, just in case she changed her mind. Sakura was not as scary as she was without a good reason: that teacher of hers was dangerous!

Inside her office Tsunade was watching the five men team in front of her. She sighed once more.

"-You might as well sit, this is gonna take a while."

The BAU each grabbed a chair lined up against the wall and sat in front of her desk.

"-I guess you have questions so shoot."

They stayed silent, not knowing where to begin. It was Jennifer who opened the conversation after a moment of hesitation.

"-Did we... Did we hallucinate or something?"

Tsunade snorted.

"-I guess this is as good a starting point as any. And it is a good and legitimate question to ask. Not one I expected but a valid one. No, unfortunately you didn't hallucinate. What you saw was real.

-How?" This time it was Spencer who asked.

"-This is going to be fun." The blond woman said in a whisper. "Where to begin? Okay, what do you know about chakra?

-Chakra is energy?" Supplied Emily, tentatively, almost as a question.

"-Chakra is the circulation of spiritual energy in the body. Hinduists believe that there are 7 pools of chakra in the body, distributed along its vertical axis. Each pool is linked to a physiological function, an emotion and a cosmic disposition. One has to find the balance between the 7 pools to be at peace and be able to access the immaterial world. It is often achieved through meditation." Proposed Spencer in a long lone breath.

"-Hm. I see. Interesting. So there are people aware of chakra but with a different notion of it. Fascinating." The head of the village did sound interested indeed. "Here, it is slightly different. Chakra is indeed spiritual energy but only partly. It is actually the combination of the physical and spiritual energy circulating in one's body. Its distribution in the body is different: it circulates in all the body through tenketsu. Those make a complete system, similar to the nervous system. By manipulating their chakra shinobis can manipulate their body and the elements around them. They can actively use this energy and direct it outside of their body.

-What is a shinobi?

-A shinobi is a ninja who fights for his village. So I should rather say that ninjas are able to manipulate and use their chakra, not only shinobis.

-Excuse me, but ninjas?! Are we being serious?! Ninjas are stories for children and bad movies." Derek interjected.

"-I can understand that this is difficult to grasp but I assure you that ninjas are real."

Tsunade answered, refraining from laughing.

"-What, black wearing, cat-like masked figures lurking in the dark? Come on.

-That's a little diminutive and borderline insulting but yes, we do such things."

That earned her a solid three minutes of incredulous silence. Obviously this Tsunade had lost her marbles and had gone completely coo-coo.

"-I can see that you're not convinced." That was the understatement of the year. "I can understand. But how would you then explained what you saw?

-Severe dehydration and lack of sugar. Sparkled with a nice fever.

-All of you?

-Doesn't seem so far-fetched compared to your explanation.

-Hm. Point taken. But don't forget who you're talking to, young man. Show some respect."

As much as she was amused by the situation, she still was used to more respect than that, and expected such.

"-And who are you, exactly?"

Tsunade seemed to consider Derek's question, which reminded her that these people actually _didn't _know who she was and had no idea how disrespectful they had been.

"-I am Senju Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of Konoha of the Land of Fire. I am the Slug Princess of the Sannin and the best medic in the world. My grandfather," she pointed at a picture on the wall behind them, "was Senju Hashirama, founder and First Hokage of Konoha.

-So, you're like royalty?

-Yes. Let me explain. The land is divided into several countries. The biggest ones are the five Great Nations: Fire/Hi, Water/Mizu, Earth/Tsuchi, Wind/Kaze and Lightning/Kamimari. Each great nation has a daimyo; he is the head of the political power. Some smaller nations also have one but not necessarily. Each great nation and some smaller ones have what is called a "hidden village": Konoha for Fire, Kiri for Water, Suna for Wind, Kumo for Lightning and Iwa for Earth. Some small nations only have a hidden village without having a daimyo. The hidden villages are ninja villages. The Kage are the head of these villages. I am the Hokage, the current head of Konoha, until I die or retire. In other words I am the head of the military power. My "colleagues" are the Kazekage, Raikage, Mizukage and Tsuchikage. Hidden villages are quite independent from the political power of their country but diving in that particular topic would take forever and give me a headache so we're not going there. Any question so far?

-Tons.

-So everyone living here is a ninja?" Asked Aaron before Spencer could start asking the dozens of questions he surely had.

"-No. A good portion of the population is civilian. Actually you probably haven't seen any ninja with the exception of those you saw this morning.

-So Sakura and her team are ninjas?

-They are.

-Wait, wait, wait. I'm still processing the ninja thing," interrupted Derek, "Care to enlighten us? What _is _a ninja?

-Like I said, a ninja is someone who can manipulate chakra. But not only. I actually have a ninja who is completely unable to do so. Ninja... We learn, we train, we fight and we live for our village and our country.

-So you're soldiers?

-You could say that but it doesn't cover it all.

-Is there a war going on?" asked Aaron.

"-Not for the moment, but there is always something to fight for and missions to carry out.

-Missions?

-People come to hidden villages to seek help on matters they can't handle themselves. They pay us and we carry out these matters for them.

-So, like state-sponsored missionaries?

-I guess you could say that.

-What kind of matters?" Asked Derek, suspiciously.

"-Transport of merchandize or of documents, escort, bodyguard, among other things.

-Among other things, uh?

-You're government, I'm sure you can understand why I don't tell you everything."

There were tense, silent seconds ticking. Emily, who had stayed silent for the most part, broke the awkwardness.

"-I have a question. Was what we saw the result of chakra manipulation?

-It was.

-How is it possible? I mean, you explained already but I still don't understand how such a thing is possible. How could Sakura move so fast and destroy the ground? And what was the light?

-Hm. Explaining chakra theory would take too long and I can't explain to you the working of Sakura's or Kakashi's techniques. This is the kind of stuff that is highly confidential, I'm sorry. And it would be a betrayal from my part to reveal how their body works."

Aaron straightened as he remembered what he saw in the park.

"-The other day I saw children playing in the park. One of them fell from a tree. I thought he was going to hurt himself but he landed just fine. Is that chakra too?

-No. Young children usually can't use chakra. Their body isn't fully formed yet and they can't access it yet. Or if they can they wouldn't be able to handle it."

Aaron frowned, not entirely convinced: the child _should _have hurt himself, logically speaking. Seeing this, Tsunade continued her explanation.

"-Children can't use chakra but they are training their body to be able to do so in the future. You have to understand that life as a shinobi is hard, both on the body and on the mind. The body goes under a lot of stress and has to be able to take it. When growing up, future ninja push their body to acclimate and adapt.

-You're breeding them?!

-No! We do not _breed_ them!" Her voice was angry. "Enrolling in the Academy is a choice, both personal and of the parents. The Academy usually starts at the same age as the civilian school. Not all Academy students graduate. Actually a lot of them switch to the civilian school. But those who stay in the Academy have to fortify their body."

That seemed to arouse Spencer's interest and curiosity. He wasted no time in asking a few questions.

"-How come? How can a body be fortified to the point where it can handle a lot more stress than normally? Do they have special treatments?

-Slow down. This is not how I planned my day. Children aiming to be ninja fortify their body and their senses through games mostly. Most of these games are regular children games like hide-and-seek or tag. The difference is that the limits and the rules are changed. The constant exercise forces their bones and muscles to develop more densely, providing them with increased stamina, endurance and energy, which in turn builds their reserves of chakra. Not everyone develops the same way, admittedly.

-Do they require more vitamins?

-Usually yes. Ninja tend to eat more than civilians. Healthier food, too.

-Do...

-I'm sorry but we can't continue. I have a busy schedule and I can see that you still have a lot of questions. Unfortunately I can't give you more of my time. Here is what I suggest. Take the rest of the day off. Go back to your hotel, go to the bath-house, go to the park or to a restaurant. Relax. Eventually think about our discussion and about questions you would like to ask. If necessary I will arrange for someone to talk with you in the following days. And I will postpone the training session tomorrow.

-Thank you, Tsunade." Said Aaron. "In light of what we just learnt, though, I'm sure you understand that our profile is highly inaccurate. We would need more information to build a better profile."

Tsunade looked him in the eyes for a few seconds.

"-I understand. I'll see what I can do. But understand that the situation hasn't changed: this is still highly classified information you're asking for. I'm not sure I will be able to give you more than you already have, regardless of what happened today and what you learnt.

-I understand. Thank you.

-Have a nice evening."

The BAU team left her office and walked to their hotel in a silent, incredulous daze.

Unbeknown to them, Tsunade, after swearing up a storm, had them followed by and ANBU, who had been ordered to lay a simple genjustu on them as soon as they reached their hotel. Their current state of confused incredulity made it very easy for the sleeping technique to take hold.

* * *

_Psst, I'm on the lookout for a beta reader for this pic. I need to bounce ideas around... Anyone keen just pm me! Cheers!_


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